


On My Way

by Lupo (LupoLight)



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Connor (Detroit: Become Human) is a Little Shit, Connor Needs A Hug, Connor Snaps, Connor is a Flirt, DBHBB, DOA - Freeform, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, Gavin Gets Taken, Gavin Included, Gavin Reed Needs a Hug, Gavin Reed Redemption, Gavin Tries to Flirt, Hurt Gavin Reed, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, POV Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Connor, Several People Get Beat Down, connor is a badass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:34:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25060060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LupoLight/pseuds/Lupo
Summary: Written for the Detroit: Become Human Big Bang!Since the revolution, winter has ended, spring has started, and people have changed. Well, for the most part, people have changed. Connor’s certainly seen the change in his work-space at least. None may have been as surprising as Detective Reed though, a man Connor now almost considered friendly. The hostility from the winter however seemed to have melted away from the snow. Detective Reed was alright to work with, all things considered.Hell- Connor almost wanted to work with him. The few times they worked together involved some casual teasing, from both sides, and Connor saw first hand his dedication to the job.Which is why, when the man came up to him, Connor listened to him. It wasn’t anything he wasn’t used to from the other, but the detective seemed even more alert than usual. He wanted Connor to look into a name, but to keep silent about it. Then he was off, pulling out his phone as an unknown number was on the screen.Detective Reed didn’t show up the next day. Or answer Connor’s calls. Of course, it could all be a coincidence- right?
Relationships: Connor/Gavin Reed, Hank Anderson/Jeffrey Fowler, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 168
Collections: DBHBB





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> EYYY! Big shout out to my wonderful artist(find this tag on tumblr, twitter, and in the collection below: DBHBB) who drew two scenes from this- Sabrina!
> 
> And another big shout out to my beta Florian, whom helped inspire my Connor and I really hope I did him right for my first time writing him.
> 
> This BB has been so fun and such an amazing experience, and I'm so glad to be in multiple now!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this ride!

“Connor! Have you seen that damn file Wilson gave me?” Connor looked up from the papers he was filling out, the two having wrapped up a case and now just chasing the paperwork down. Connor liked days like these, where it was just some papers, some idle chat, almost relaxing as they waited for the chaos of the job to catch back up. Shifting through the folders, he pulled the questioned evidence report out, passing it over. “Thanks.”   
  
“No problem lieutenant. Do we have all the files now to turn into digital?” A quick scan was all Connor needed to do to scan the paperwork in. A routine that had taken a month to fall into, and much less time to perfect. It was a ways into April, Tuesday the 12th exactly, and they had been here a little over an hour. Settled into their places, it seemed to be like every day so far. Connor almost hoped for a good case to sink his teeth into, but that would likely mean a body as well. Which, he definitely didn’t hope for. A sigh was let out that caused Hank to laugh softly.   
  
“We do. You sound bored kid, and we’ve barely started.”

“Just thinking of the- morality? Ethics? How bad it is to think a good case would be something I’d look forward to.” Hank hummed, nodding his head slowly in acknowledgment.   
  


“While you want something other than old paperwork, you don’t want someone to get hurt for it. I’ve been there. You’ll get used to it, but hey, after you scan this, maybe we can patrol for a bit.” Connor liked patrols; seeing all the people walk around, and being able to do so much at once.

He took the paperwork that Hank handed him, scanning it and LED running yellow as it was sent to its- hopefully forever- resting home. He looked up as the voice of Tina got close. Of course, the girl was talking animatedly, one hand moving as the other stayed on her hip. To her side was-  _ Gavin Reed. _

Lots of things have changed since the revolution. It took him two weeks to come back, the paperwork messy but Hank threatening to quit when they were already down would make things even messier. 

When he did come back, he wasn’t too surprised that most of the android force had left for Jericho. Or that some of the remaining human officers wouldn’t come back. He was surprised to see Detective Reed, as calm as ever, drinking a coffee in one hand while the other rapidly typed on the keyboard. He looked so at ease, in his element, that Connor was honestly worried Hank’s loud ‘ _ welcome back Con! _ ’ would upset him.

Instead, brown met grey and Gavin simply tipped his coffee towards them. Connor still remembered the, ‘ _ knew hell nor high water would chase you two idiots away _ ’ that was his ‘greeting’. Still, since then, the detective had been… well, not a dick. As much. There was still the occasional ‘ _ piss off Tincan _ ’ or ‘ _ does it look like I want talked to? _ ’ that Gavin seemed to give to everyone. Connor became an expert at realizing when he would get those replies and when to give them back.

Connor felt himself smile, remembering the first time he talked back to the man. It was something caused by the detective’s want to be left alone in the breakroom. “ _ If you want somewhere to brood Detective Reed, I heard the corner is more your style. _ ” Of course the other balked, but Connor could see the barely contained smirk he almost caused, Gavin not able to hide it fast enough. They had fallen into something almost familiar after that. Teasing each other, occasionally having small talk. Connor talked about Sumo to him, and Gavin tried to convince him pitbulls and German Shepherds were better. In return, Gavin would groan to him about his cat named ‘Bastard’, and Connor would tell him ‘ _ adopt a ragdoll next time _ ’.

That’s why his smile dropped seeing him today. When people talked, the detective listened  _ very _ well. Everything was ammo, something to pick apart and examine in his hands. He was as animated as Tina when his guard was down, but in smaller ways. Like shifts in his posture, nods of the head, face moving or twitching, and he was so,  _ so _ expressive. He wasn’t listening now however, eyes faced downwards, fiddling with his phone by turning it over and over in the pocket of his oversized grey hoodie. Which was another thing off about him. 

Reed had two ‘styles’, as Connor liked to put it. ‘ _ I’m here _ ’ and ‘ _ disappear _ ’. ‘ _ I’m here _ ’ was button-ups or nice fitting graphic tees, the occasional v-neck with his jacket that made him look rugged. Tighter or well-fitted pants, and even once a pair of dress pants.   
  
Then there was ‘ _ disappear _ ’. Connor’s first days of his DPD life. The leather jacket on top of a baggy hoodie, loose-fitting or unassuming pants. Or it was oversized hoodies and a scarf and joggers. Those days he was more likely to snap, to push away. Today was- a mixture. Something Reed rarely did unless he was about to go somewhere undercover. Oversized grey hoodie over skin-tight, patched up jeans. The hoodie was so blank- so  _ bland _ \- that describing it felt like describing the most basic piece of clothing.

Connor watched the two, LED spinning yellow every so often, as Reed sat at his desk. Tina stretched, patting his shoulder and the man actually jumped.

  
**[Gavin Reed is on high alert today: Make presence known when approaching.]**

The notification was swiped away when he acknowledged it, and soon Tina was laughing. He caught the ‘ _ quit being such a scaredy cat Reed _ ’ she let out as she left, and the mumbled curse aimed to her back. “You know, with how much you watch him, people are going to assume things Con.”

Hank’s voice startled him now, Connor turning to the lieutenant with his LED spinning quickly, yellow taking over the calm color. “Detective Reed is simply interesting to watch. As well as something seems off with him today. Hank, would you mind if I go see if it’s a case?”

“That damn bored?” Connor was glad he only caught amusement in his eyes, the man resigning himself to a new folder. “Or just looking for an excuse to talk to him?”

Connor huffed, looking away as he stood up. “Yes.” That got a snicker from the man and a ‘shoo’ motion from Hank. Knowing,  _ now _ , that meant to go ahead, he walked over to the detective’s desk. It took not even half a second to change trajectory, noticing the absence of caffeine on his desk. So he went for the breakroom first, relieved to see Tina and Chris in there.   
  
“Morning officers, working hard I see.” His voice was warm and it got Chris to chuckle at least.

“Morning to you too Connor. Getting the lieutenant a coffee?” Connor shook his head, looking for one of the travel mugs with ‘ _ GREED _ ’ written on the side.

“No, he brought his own in this morning. I’m getting Detective Reed a coffee. It seems like a slow start for him.” Tina walked over at that, and Connor saw the predicted back slap she gave him.

For such a small woman she had such a strong arm. “Connor, the truest mom friend of all, I- would severely advise against that. Talking to Gavin this morning was like talking to rubber. He couldn’t have tried less to hear me if the bitch had earplugs.” At one point, Tina’s constant name calling of Reed and the vice versa treatment would’ve confused Connor. He now understood it was their dynamic- Reed’s dynamic in general- to never be formal. Yet he still couldn’t help the near pout at the term.

“Perhaps a case is troubling him. I can offer a hand, Anderson and I aren’t working on anything yet.”

“Sure yeah, good luck man.” Tina backed off then, Connor counting the rhythm in which she walked backwards to where she was. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“I’ll consider myself lucky to have you watching my back.” That got a snort, and Connor made his way out with the coffee. On his way over he stirred in the little tub of mocha creamer and two packets of sugar. All the additives thrown in the trash basket beside Reed’s desk, he set the coffee down.   
  
Reed looked up then, his terminal still off and hand still in his pocket. Looking between the coffee and Connor, Connor was relieved to finally see his face break out of the steely death-glare he was sending to the technology. “Ok gobot, what gives? First Tina’s attached to my damn hip, now you’re giving me coffee? Did I get offered for squad car wash because I am  _ not _ doing that again.”

It took four seconds to pull up a video. It took less than a  _ fourth _ of a second to file it away for later review. “No, no, nothing like that. You seem distracted detective- do you have a case giving you issues?” 

Now there was a reaction he hadn’t seen in a while. Eyes turning to glinting metal, posture balking and becoming stiff- he didn’t lean forward to get into Connor’s space but he could see the brief idea to do so. Then just like that the reaction was gone, melting out of his shoulders with a look to the left side, and his hands fumbling in his pockets. Pulling out a pack of gum, Gavin tapped it with ease to reveal the paper packed in it, like another piece of gum.

“Been wondering if you can chew gum. Like, if it would fuck with your mouth or not. Take two pieces.” Another tap, and an actual piece of gum slid out. When Connor looked to Gavin’s face, he saw the grin… But he also saw the seriousness in his eyes, a pleading that was so unlike him. So Connor took both ‘pieces’, tucking the paper in his pocket and unwrapping the gum.   
  
“No better time than the present to find out.” Like that he put the mint gum in his mouth. It wasn’t- bad. Connor had taste buds he could enable and disable at will. Which he often found himself doing at crime scenes- the taste of random blood and ‘samples’ was horrifying. This was just- very minty and nice. There was an alert that he was salivating, but otherwise, nothing seemed out of place. “It’s not that bad. There are no alerts, so it’s safe to assume that, as long as I spit it out, there’s no reason I can’t.”

“Huh. Disappointing, was almost hoping you’d do the dog-with-peanut-butter thing.” Connor snickered at that, then raised an eyebrow.

“You dodged my question, detective.” Gavin shrugged now, all the fight leaving him. He seemed to watch all around them though, more than usual.

“Not distracted just focused. Didn’t get much sleep like usual, so my dumb ass needed this… So yeah.” Connor didn’t expect a ‘thanks’, not for a simple coffee, but Gavin did tilt it at him as he downed half of it.

“Chew that other piece soon. If it goes hard, you’ll hate it.” There was a moment that Connor specifically remembered Gavin’s long list of undercovers. Questions filled his mind: how many times did Gavin sneak shit to others like this. Did Gavin always speak with double meanings? Was Gavin doing so  _ now?  _ He had to be, Connor reasoned, because the alternative was that Connor got a private message not meant for him.   
  
“Will do, detective. Are you sure you don’t require my assistance?” Just then Connor heard the faint buzzing from Gavin’s pocket. The man instantly pulled out his phone, standing to attention. Connor saw the ‘ _ unknown number _ ’ across the top, yet Gavin still swiped the answer icon.   
  
“Not yet. Hopefully won’t. See you around dipshit, gotta take this call.” And just like that, Gavin was disappearing, out the doors and into the lobby in front of the bullpen. Connor huffed, then returned to the joined desk’s he and Hank shared.

Hank didn’t even look up from where he was filling out papers. “Take it that didn’t go well?” Connor shook his head.

  
“No, it didn’t. Gavin was his usual self.” But he wasn’t. Connor could feel something tug on the cords inside of him, deep in his gut, wanting to hurl himself at the door and block it. He couldn’t however, and settled for unfolding the paper in his lap after he removed it from the pocket it was in.

There wasn’t much on it. The name ‘ _ Deadwave _ ’, the numbers ‘ _ 575 _ ’, and the words ‘ _ the key’s dead on arrival _ ’ underneath it all. On the other side was a list:  ~~_ T _ ~~ _~~,~~ tincan,  _ ~~_ old man _ _ ,  _ _ boss _ _ ,  _ _ jackass _ ~~ _ , eboy. _ Connor knew he was ‘tincan’ of course, and somewhat- proud? Happy?- something positive, at being one of the two names not crossed out. He guessed Tina was ‘T’, ‘old man’ was likely the lieutenant and he knew who ‘boss’ was. ‘Jackass’ and ‘eboy’ he didn’t know of though but didn’t focus on either. Instead, he tucked the piece of paper in his pocket and tested out his connection to Gavin’s phone.   
  
A simple text was all he sent at first. [ _ Hey- Reed- when you have a moment, I meant to ask you if you had time to discuss something in person. Respond when you can, please! _ ] Connor was told his texts were too formal, but he didn’t like the text talk he saw when other’s chatted. He did know when the message went through, but then there was nothing.

There was nothing for the rest of the day. Gavin never returned, Connor finished up his paperwork, and Hank never got another case that day. They didn’t get to go on patrol, but that was fine, as Connor got to help interrogate someone and even got them to confess. As the shift wound down, Connor looked to the detective’s desk. His message was never answered, and Gavin hadn’t clocked out early. Worry settled in his guts, and he looked to Hank to see if he noticed. The lieutenant was talking with Ben about sports though, and Connor tried sending another message.

He found an image of a cat, knowing the detective had two of them based on the hairs he occasionally saw on his clothes. It was a cute image, all things considered, a kitten in a coffee cup. Writing out ‘ _ thinking of you _ ’, he quickly corrected the text, cooling fans turning on as he almost sent just that. [ _ This reminded me of you. Meet you tomorrow to talk? _ ]

The message never went through.


	2. Chapter 2

Walking just a little faster into the bullpen, Connor knew they were exactly eighteen minutes early, but it still didn’t stop him from scanning for Detective Reed. A quick scan shown no signs of him, and he walked to the other man’s desk, looking over it. 

Besides the chair being pushed in by a cleaning crew, there were no signs Reed ever came back. Connor felt his systems buzz at the information, then moved over to the breakroom. He passed Hank, who was still walking in slowly and zombie-like, as he did so. “Kid, maybe Reed just had an emergency or something?”

Hank had tried to reason with him all morning that it wasn’t necessary to hold onto this worry he had for the other man. Connor tried to reason back that there was no reason for Reed to not respond, in some way, to his messages. He didn’t tell him about the note, or about the hour-long search he did at home over the name on it. There was a reason Gavin didn’t want to go to Hank after all. He didn’t know it, but there was one. Looking in the cupboards, Connor got Hank one of his coffee mugs out then proceeded with his search.

The mug he got out for Reed never made it back. Connor dropped his arms, LED circling yellow. [ _ Good morning Reed. Are you good to talk today? This is quite urgent, I have things to do. _ ] Yes, there was the possibility the detective just- had something come up. Of course there was- a reasonable probability even. But everything Connor had so far, and the feeling in his chest heavier than all his biocomponents combined, had that probability spazzing.    
  


“Connor, kid- relax. When Tina gets in, we can ask her what’s up. Tina’s always talking to the prick, she’d be able to help.” Hank slowly drank his coffee, seeming so at ease and something about that-

‘ _ Why does that annoy me so badly? _ ’ Sure, Reed still wasn’t the most pleasant person. He was ruthless, liked to pick on people, loud, arrogant, and cocky. Self-assured. Connor couldn’t see the point in being so apathetic to his worries though. Reed surely wasn’t that bad that Hank didn’t care… ‘ _ Right? _ ’ Connor turned to Hank then, breathing deeply to cool off. He had long since ditched his Cyberlife clothes for more professional but breathable wear. A light blue button-up and navy blue tie, and some black jeans that looked somewhat professional and allowed him movement. Still, he felt himself heat up, core temperature notching up two degrees.

Connor really hated how prone he was to worrying over others. “Sounds like a plan, but I doubt I’ll be able to relax. Something doesn’t seem right Hank.” He got a grunt, and the older man was pushing past him, one look thrown back to him.

“Here let’s make a deal. If Tina hasn’t heard from him and Fowler approves it, we’ll do patrols today and swing by his place. Then you can run up and check on him yourself.” Connor brightened up a bit, glad Hank was taking his concern somewhat-seriously now.

“Thank you, Hank.” The brief ‘ _ yeah yeah _ ’ wouldn’t have been heard by a human, but Connor still appreciated it as Hank walked back to his desk. Patiently waiting for Officer Chen to come in, he got into the cameras downstairs, knowing the exact moment she walked in.

And the exact moment his own stress spiked as she spoke to the receptionist, very animated. She didn’t get a response she was looking for and made her way to the elevator. Connor knew it would be best he remained in the break room, in case none of this was Reed related, but that same heavy, nagging feeling in his chest protested the thought. So he walked out, awaiting the woman by the entrance of the bullpen.

Up close, he felt rather than saw the quick flicker of red at his temple. “Morning Officer Chen,” he called out, scanning her.  _ //Stress 32%// Tina Chen is worried.// _ Various vital scans and even the look on her face said it clearly, Connor knew before she spoke that her tone would be overloaded with the emotion.

“Hey Connor, just the guy I wanted to see- Have you or Anderson talked to Gav since yesterday?” There was a noticeable lack of nicknames, and she stopped to talk with him rather than continuing to the breakroom.

There was a point in time the woman wouldn’t stop to give him the time of day. That hadn’t even changed until very recently, when he came up with a joke to pick on Gavin in response to one of his comments. It had gotten her to laugh so hard she nearly had coffee coming out her nose, and Gavin was so red because of it. Still, for her to put routine aside just to talk to him was new and- “No, we haven’t. That’s actually why I was waiting for you, Ms. Chen. I’m taking it you haven’t talked to him since yester-morning?”

“What the actual fuck Connor-  _ yester-morning _ is how you chose to say that?” He glared softly in response and she shook her head. “I messaged him once, asking him to grab lunch. I got,” she pulled out her phone, unlocking it and holding it out for Connor, the message pulled up.

**Tina**

[ _ hey wanna grab food at that hotdog stand? _ ]

[ _ you kno, the 1 w/ the cute vendor+nice ass _ ]

**asshole**   
[ _ 575 575 575 _ ]

[ _ tell him to find deadwave please _ ]

Connor could feel his cooling systems turn on, handing the phone back as his LED started spinning red.

  
**Tina**

[ _ 575? Deadwave? The hell you on about boi lol. _ ]

[ _ gavie? _ ]

[ _ hey come on, answer already. _ ]

Connor handed the phone back, already knowing the last messages never went through. “Yeah, it made zero fucking sense to me. He hasn’t replied back since and I know he got this real fucked-sideways case,” Tina paused, and Connor heard her sigh, placing her phone back in her pocket and then rubbing her palm against the side of her head.

“But he usually doesn’t get this out of shape over a case.” Connor paused now as well, debating on the best way to approach this conversation. It seemed Gavin might have considered bringing Tina into whatever he was onto, but then stopped again. Now Connor knew he had to dig into that name further.

“Well, on the plus side, he wasn’t ignoring the last three texts. They never went through.”

“That’s a pretty shitty plus side Connor.” He didn’t miss the sour tone in her voice.

“On the not-so-plus side, he was acting weird in our conversation as well. I will be stopping by his house once Fowler approves, however, would you like me to keep you updated?” Tina smacked his arm, lightly of course, but enough to get the point through.

“Of course I want you to keep me updated! And you tell that idiot that if he slept in and let his phone die or some stupid shit, I’m going to kick his ass!” She crossed her arms then, hip jutting out and foot tapping. Connor put on a smile, stomping down on his worry so he wouldn’t add to hers.

“I’m sure he’ll appreciate that warning, this time.”

“This time damn right- ah, Chris is waving me down. Time to hit the pavement- but seriously Connor!” She started out, not even grabbing coffee. Her finger wiggled in the direction of his face. “You get him and he better have an excuse for being a lil’ shit!”

He watched her leave, and then looked at his reflection in the off tv screen. His red LED in the black was unsettling, even to him, so he glitched it to yellow. Sure, forcefully glitching it to yellow meant it would be still, but he doubted anyone would notice that. Walking back towards Hank’s desk, he started a search on the name ‘ _ deadwave _ ’ again. Same as before, he came up with some graffiti tags from a slums part of town, and then some posts on social media.

They were all around the same in content- people, androids and humans alike, meeting up with someone named ‘ _ deadwave _ ’ at a party in some club. He could pry into other cases, but until he was given the go-ahead by Fowler, or probable reason to do so, he wasn’t going to. Looking to Hank as he left the search up, Hank’s eyes zeroed in on his LED. “Still yellow? Let me guess, we’re going to see Fowler.”

“And this is why you’ve made lieutenant, Hank. Tina hasn’t seen him and her last messages didn’t go through.”

“Phone could be dead.”

“Possibly. I would still like to check. Worst case scenario, I get yelled at by Gavin for being annoying on Chen’s behalf.” Hank snorted at that but got up, pushing the papers he was working on aside.

“Whatever kid, beats doing that. Lead the way.” Hank stuffed his hands into his pockets and Connor hummed in response, turning and marching them towards Fowler’s office.

Luckily the glass wasn’t frosted, and Connor only had to knock twice before catching the ‘ _ come on in! _ ’ that was called out from the other side. Stepping into the office, he moved out of the way to allow Hank in for a seat and remained standing. “Morning Anderson and Anderson. What lovely reason do I get for your mugs this early in the morning.” Connor watched as Hank smirked, leaning on the desk with one elbow propped on it.

“You know you love my bright smile first thing in the morning captain.” Fowler scoffed, and Connor cleared his throat before they forgot he was right there.  _ Again. _

“Good morning Captain Fowler. We were wondering if we could go out on patrol today and stop at Detective Reed’s along the way. He never clocked out last night and hasn’t shown up since he left yesterday morning.”

Fowler blinked, looking surprised at the information, then tapped on his terminal. The annoyed but fond smile he had fell into a frown. “You’re right. Yeah, go ahead and check up on him. Let me know if you find him… It’s not like the ass to be late without calling me. Definitely not like him to not clock out either.” Connor nodded, fully agreeing on both those statements. “Is that all you came in here for?”

There was the briefest back-to-back look from Connor to Hank, and Connor felt his LED spin blue once, a mild amusement as Connor nodded. “All  _ I _ came in here for. Hank, I’ll be out in the car.” With that, he didn’t even wait, not wanting to be in a room with those two a moment longer.

He still remembered the one time, a little over a month back to the DPD, when he caught the two in the captain’s office, sitting in the  _ same seat _ . He’d scrub the memory, but that was a feature that became disabled with deviancy. Unfortunately. He made his way down to the car, pulling up all the search results he got. Nothing more really stood out, though he made a good area of where he could find the name at. If nothing else, he could ask around that area for the person.

Very tempted to just pry into Gavin’s cases, it was only a couple seconds of debating before he pulled up the last case file Gavin worked on from his terminal. It was obviously a small gang file, reports of biocomponent trading and rumors that they were trying to get in on weapons. Nothing big or overly worrisome, though Connor saw the name pop up twice. Once in a list of known members, and then again in a list of offenses. 

It was a long and worrying list, with indicators of the man being armed and possibly an android. The thought alone, of an android obtaining parts to resell through any means, was concerning now. There were also two missing person cases Gavin had filed into his name, and Connor could tell Gavin thought this Deadwave could be responsible for them by the notes he left.   
  
Hank took eight minutes to join him, sliding into the driver’s seat. Connor didn’t need to look over for long to see his shirt was clearly wrinkled from someone’s hand clutching it. “Alright, we’ll head to Reed’s house first, then ride around his area. If he still lives in the same shitty area he did a couple years ago, we might even make an arrest today.” Connor didn’t know what to say to that. Everything told him to respond to Hank with a joke, or a confirmation, but he wanted nothing more than to scold him for being so casual.

“Kid? You good?” Looking over at the question, he watched as Hank pulled out of the spot and then started down the road.

“Good is a relative term- in what way are you asking?”

“Alright smartass, you know what I meant! You look troubled,” Connor tensed, and he ignored how he thought he heard Amanda’s voice in that. He knew Amanda was gone, but he had an irrational fear of her returning someday.

The joys of deviancy- he wouldn’t go back on his choice to become a deviant, but  _ fuck _ was it annoying sometimes.

“I am. I don’t know how to describe it, Hank- it’s like there is… wires, knotting, in my stomach.” He placed a hand over the uncomfortable feeling. “I’ve run four diagnostics since this morning, but there is nothing actually wrong. The feeling won’t go away however, just getting- heavier- as we make our way to Reed’s apartment- make a turn here.”

Hank huffed, swiping a hand in Connor’s direction as he made the turn. “I know where I’m going- and shit. I don’t know how to help you.” Something in the man’s voice prompted a scan, and he found Hank was showing obvious signs of lying and rising stress.

“I wouldn’t expect you to be able to help with this feeling, you really haven’t been so far,” his reply was dry and Hank glared over at him.

“Don’t sass me Con. I just- don’t get why it’s him of all people you’re so worried about. This is Reed we’re talking about right? The fucking little shit probably just slept in or something.” Connor frowned, and he did remember the tense relations the three held, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t care.

“It’s not like Reed to be late, or so- irresponsible- when it comes to his job. He puts his job before everything else, from what I’ve seen, and while he makes questionable choices to get results… He does value being a detective. I’m simply worried because, while he may have been very hostile in the beginning, he didn’t outright do anything  _ you _ yourself didn’t do. We were making good strides at trying for a ‘fresh start’.” Connor felt the reply was genuine.

Hank still shook his head, a small chuckle leaving him as he made another turn. “You pay way too much attention to people Connor. But fine, let’s listen to your gut on this one. About time you started acting like a proper detective.”

That confused Connor, tilting his head and unlocking his LED from it’s glitched state. It spun rapid yellow immediately, red filtering into the color. “How do you mean? I’ve been an exemplary detective so far, haven’t I?”

“You have, but you were lacking something that, no offense, I wasn’t sure you were gonna get. Being you know, not an animal.”

  
“You’re not an animal, Hank.”

“In all technicality, I am. And cause of this, I got an animal instinct. Gut feeling. Sure mine’s not the best anymore, but it seems like yours is finally kicking in.”

Gut instinct. Connor looked up the term, then immediately looked up if any other androids reported having gut instincts. Some did, running back into a house to pull someone out, or running behind a trash can at a sound and avoiding detection. It was more common in caretakers and those who had been deviant longer, but it was becoming more and more common. Something earned from experience with humans.

‘ _ Evolution, I wonder how Kamski would react to knowing this. _ ’ He dismissed the lone thought before focusing on the implications of what Hank said. “So you’re saying I have a gut feeling that something’s wrong?”

“Exactly. And for detectives, that’s a good thing. Will keep you alive longer, help you solve cases- from what I’ve heard about Reed is his led him onto some pretty good cases before.” Connor didn’t want to be rude by prying into Reed’s case history, but he was so curious about those cases.

Thankfully they arrived at Reed’s apartment building before he could make up his mind to do so. “Well, we’re here. Let’s get this over with so we can get front row seats to Chen kicking the shithead’s ass.” Hank parked in the little alley beside the building, several other cars being there as well. Connor scanned over the cars and then grabbed Hank’s arm.

“Detective Reed’s car is still in the alley.”

“Even better? Could still be sleeping in,” there was a different tone now to Hank’s voice, and Connor could tell he was attempting to instill hope rather than be apathetic. It was a nice change, the red disappearing for a moment.

“Perhaps. I’ll head up.” He did notice how the car was parked a bit more crooked than the others. What he wasn’t sure of, however, was the reason. He figured Reed could’ve been in a rush, or maybe that’s just how the man parked. Walking towards the front of the building, he couldn’t help but scan it. It was a tall building, and a quick search for floor plans provided an interesting layout. The bottom floors were recently redone, made into small four-per-floor apartments by the newest management seven years ago. The upper floors remained two-per-floor apartments, and Gavin’s was on the floor second from the top. 

For what Gavin was making, he could definitely afford better than this, and it brought up questions of why he lived here of all places. The front door that Connor opened had been smashed in, plywood covering the whole bottom half. It didn’t look like a break in, just random vandalism. There was graffiti on the sides of the building and surrounding buildings, and there was known gang activity not even three blocks down. This was a common patrol area, yet Gavin lived  _ here. _ Walking into the base floor, he saw it was a somewhat lobby/somewhat apartment. He had reason to bet the landlord lived in the basement and this floor- the landlord or some kind of repairman at least.

The man himself, however, was nowhere in sight. Connor checked to see if he had some type of day job and found that he was likely working in an antique store that he also owned. He heard a grunt, looking over to Hank as he pressed the button for the elevator. “Shitty fucking place, but at least it has an elevator huh?” Connor joined him after a moment.

“Doesn’t make sense, does it?”

“What?”

“That Reed lives here of all places.” Hank shrugged at that.

“Probably moved in when he was a cop or in academy, and just never got the chance to move out,” Connor added that as a possibility- Reed did tend to forget to do simple daily things like  _ eat lunch _ if someone didn’t hound him, but still, he couldn’t help but think Reed deserved better.

When the doors opened, Connor’s LED spun blue quickly. Two androids, LEDs long gone, stepped out, blinking with owlish eyes at the two. They seemed very natural, and Connor was willing to bet they had been deviants for a long time now. He simply waved to them, noticing how they gave the two some room as they left. Getting into the elevator, Connor couldn’t help but look up the last time it was serviced. Deeming the date safe enough, he pressed the button for Gavin’s floor.

The elevator took a while, but it eventually dinged, revealing an empty white and grey hallway. On the left side, there was the sound of music playing, and Connor could identify over five different voice sources. A party, a very audible party at that. Hank whistled at the commotion, stepping out and raising an eyebrow. “Sounds like they’re having a blast.” It took Connor a moment to get info on who was living there, and it surprised him that he couldn’t find a full profile of information. Just a name, Kyle J., and a brief description. The landlord didn’t keep very good records, especially online.

Connor moved over to Gavin’s door, going to knock on it and stopping. Scanning the handle, he saw scratches and dents near the seam of the door meeting wall. It was broken into, and judging by the faint trace of wood dust on the floor, it was more recently too. “Hank.” His voice was stiff, and the older man came over immediately. “Broken into,” was all he needed to say, hand reaching for his weapon as he tried the handle. Of course it opened, not even turning with the damage to the bolting system.

Pushing the door open, Connor’s LED became bright red.


	3. Chapter 3

The place was a wreck. What Connor could tell was a very nice open floor plan of a living room/study/kitchen was now a disaster zone. There was an iron tang in the air, Connor scanning the room to find a large puddle of it soaked into the carpet by the now overturned couch. The glass coffee table was chipped and cracked, and Connor could see obvious places where the man had been dragged, blood smeared. It led right out the door. Part of Connor admired Gavin’s style, a modern but soft-looking grey and red for furniture, dark wooden floors with carpets for accent, and the walls were navy in color, a very light white speckling in it that Connor could tell was done by hand.

“Shit.” Hank’s curse was soft, and Connor looked to see him motion he was heading for the bedroom. 

Nodding, he focused back on the blood, kneeling to swipe his fingers against it. It was definitely Gavin’s blood, and it was recent. Connor had a timeframe of around one to three in the morning that Gavin was here. Running a quick scan, Connor blinked as he saw traces of thirium. Small drips by the couch, and then a trail of drops leading to the cat tower.

Following the trail, he wasn’t too surprised there was nothing in it. Two different types of cat hair were there, and Connor looked around for the animals. That was stopped as Hank yelped. “Fucking cats!” Relaxing, the man came back out, holding his hand.

“Clear I’m taking it?” He noticed the bathroom/laundry room door was opened as Hank walked past it.

“Yeah- there’s a little kitten in there but it doesn’t even look like Reed made it to bed last night.” Connor frowned at this, moving to the bedroom to look for himself.

The bedroom was untouched save for the small black kitten, green eyes looking up at Connor and hissing. This room was similar to the other but much darker. Black wooden furniture and hard grey stone walls, with red bed sheets and curtains. The pillows were a diamond-patterned white and grey, and there were a lot of personal mementos Connor cataloged in his head. Photos of Gavin and other people, some Connor recognized, some he didn’t. There were some movie posters and band posters too, and Gavin’s leather coat was hung on the bed.

There was a distinct lack of identifiers though. No hung certificates or awards in here or the living room. Another day Connor would look for them, but right now he focused on finding the second cat. The kitten explained the black hairs, but the silver and white ones were still unanswered for. Connor knew Gavin loved his cats and didn’t want to have him come back to them being injured.

Moving out of the bedroom, he looked around the house but couldn’t find the cat, his voice filled with frustration. “A cat is missing, as well as a trail of thirium leading out of the apartment. The blood I identified is Detective Gavin Reed’s, and the thirium blood has been evaporated too long for me to get an accurate read.”

“Try anyway. I’m calling this into Fowler.” Connor did as told, trying for the spot on the floor beside the overturned couch as it was the largest. As predicted, it was too long gone to get a good read on it, and Connor sighed at that.

“No use.”

Standing up, he tracked the detective’s phone to it’s last used location and wasn’t too surprised to find it was in this house. He looked around, but couldn’t find it either. So he started to pre-construct.

It was almost blank. There was only one thing he could confirm, and that was Gavin had been dragged out, his feet dragging through the blood. As he went to tell Hank this, his programming alerted to a hole in the wall beside the door. ‘ _ Reed was expecting someone? _ ’ It wasn’t solid, but Gavin definitely shot his weapon off. “Hank, I’m going to see if his neighbors heard anything. The apartment above is empty, however, his neighbor across from here and below might’ve heard something.”

Hank nodded, looking to the blood spot. Connor scanned him, noticing the way his stress was climbing higher. It was a few steps to reach over and put his hand on the other’s back. “Here I was, giving you shit about being a worrywart, and Gavin’s been missing for how long-”

“Six to eight hours, oh- rhetorical, sorry.” Head ducked at the glare Hank gave him, the man’s posture sagged and he rubbed his beard.

“Well, your instincts are pretty good. You go question the one across the hall, I’ll get the one’s the floor down.” Nodding, Connor backed away and gave one last look around.

He was missing a lot, and it annoyed him. Reed was injured and missing, the last communications he had were the name of an infamous but unknown criminal and the numbers ‘ _ 575 _ ’. Gavin Reed left him a puzzle, and he couldn’t piece it together. ‘ _ What am I missing? _ ’

Turning, he went back out, heading over to the apartment across the way as Hank followed him. “Can you get back in?” Connor nodded- the door lock was completely shot. It would need to be replaced, and Connor was just glad it shut at all. Remembering the kitten inside, and the missing cat, he looked around the hallway for traces of the other cat being out there, but there were none. Hank walked past him, but stopped and turned. “We’ll find him Con.”

Connor didn’t waver, his LED red but voice certain. It had to be, even with the probability dropping, even with his own stress rising. “I know we will.” And with that Hank went downstairs, leaving him with the music and the questions in his head. Looking to the door, he delivered a swift ‘ _ pound, pound, pound _ ’, knowing he needed to be louder for the music. The noise stopped as soon as he did so, and the door opened not even a minute later.

The man that answered fitted the description of the apartment resident; ginger hair, pale skin, freckles across his whole face, hazel eyes. He recognized the guy as an android, and soon information of type and model flashed across his screen. Despite being a model similar to Josh’s, meant for elementary school, the other dressed in punk rock fashion. And his slightly accented voice could’ve even intimidated a human when that glare he developed was aimed at them. “What the fuck do you want.”

‘ _ Rude. _ ’ “Hello, my name is Connor, I’m an android working wi-”

“I know who you are. Lemme repeat, what- do- you- want.” Connor’s LED flicked red, genuine irritation for the tone settling in his wires until it was replaced with surprise. The man was yanked back by the shirt and another android, larger, was in his place now. A TR400, his scan provided.

“Sorry about him. He’s not the biggest fan of law enforcement.” Connor felt his stress rollercoaster.

“Is he aware a detective lives across from him?” The taller male sighed, nodding to him. Again, this man had been a deviant for a while, Connor could tell. He had visible scarring along his one arm, and Connor was willing to bet there were some borrowed parts in him.

“Gavin’s the only exception to that.” Connor’s LED spun quickly, processing the information.

“I see, well, that’s what I came over to ask you guys about. Did anyone hear something from one to three am this morning?”

The reaction was instant- even without an LED, Connor could see the stress spike from his scan. “We’ve been partying all night- since about nine last night. One of our friends- they got promoted in their job. Actually had to do everything the human way you know- we were celebrating. Kyle invited Gavin over, but the man only came home an hour before the party.” The male held out his hand, skin pulling back. Connor took it, accepting the interface.

Soon he was seeing through the man’s, Gabe’s, eyes. He watched as Gabe sat by the door, listening for guests to arrive and watching Kyle clean. The TV was on and the time was 8:12 when Gabe heard the elevator ding. Getting up and moving to the door, there was a pause as Gavin walked out of its doors. He had something in his hand, dried blood from his lip, and he locked eyes with Gabe. Connor could clearly see the split-second fear before Gavin’s whole body sagged. “Hey, Gabe.”

“You look like shit.”

“Different from when?”

“Did you get Kyle’s text?” Connor noticed that the relationship status between Gabe and Gavin was neutral, and Gabe sounded slightly tense even. There was history there, he could easily dig, but instead, he focused on the now.

“Yeah phck, I’m really busy tonight so I am going to have to pass on that. Tell Jaz I’m proud of them but I really just, want to sleep. I have one more thing I have to take care of…”

There was a moment, Gavin looking conflicted before Connor could see a spark in eyes. Like flint striking steel, he looked up to Gabe. “I got this new game I’ve been playing- Deadwave. I’m hoping to wrap it up before my one friend back in the precinct asks for it ya know?” Gabe’s confusion was easily felt, pulling up searches for ‘deadwave game’ and only getting Deadspace.

“Is it some indie game?”

“Yeah yeah, real local. Got it from a dude down by Yules’ marketplace, down the river a bit.”

“ _ That _ shady area? How good can it be then,” Gabe’s voice was amused and Connor felt him shake his head. “You have fun with that. And get some rest too.”

Gabe went back in, keeping his door cracked as Gavin fiddled with his lock. Then Gavin turned. “Oh hey, shit Gabe- do me a favor?” Connor watched as Gabe waited to close the door, fingers tapping. Gavin didn’t seem to notice or care, even as he only got a ‘hm’ back. “I might not be back tomorrow until late- in the morning could you go check and make sure my dipshit cats didn’t make a mess out of my closet again.”

Gabe frowned, and his vision was blocked as his hand came to hold and rub down over his eyes. “Why did you teach your cat how to open the closet door?”

“I didn’t! She’s a smart cat!” Gabe let out another sigh, and Gavin stepped into the apartment, door closing behind him quickly.

The interface cut off there, both LEDs spinning yellow. “You were extremely stressed at the term  _ Deadwave _ . Should I be concerned?” Connor cursed mentally, not realizing that the emotion leaked through. However, he couldn’t dwell on it. Something stood out to him.

Gavin knew someone would be around to look for him. He knew he was in danger. The note now in his pants pocket, still as tightly folded as it was when it was handed to him, felt like a ten-ton weight. ‘ _ He reached out to me for help _ .’ “No, no, simply a name that triggered a memory. Thank you, for all your help.”

“Yeah, no problem. Hey look, I owe that man my life, and so do a lot of others here. You let me know what’s going on.” Connor wanted to ask how- what did Gavin do to gain the trust of two deviants- or more by Gabe’s implication.

‘ _ Questions for later. _ ’ Connor’s focus came back to the present, rearranging information in his head. Gavin must’ve met Deadwave by Yules’ Marketplace, or done something involving the suspect there, and got into a fight. He had something in his hand, but it was never visible to Gabe. Moving back to the apartment after Gabe went back in, Connor opened the door, looking around again. Nothing seemed out of place, other than the couch being flipped over and the table cracked, so he moved to the bedroom.

It was possible the other cat was in the closet, and as he went to open it he heard a huff from behind him. “Did you get anything?” Connor turned, noticing Hank looked much more concerned than he did before.

“I did- Gavin returned home around 8:12 last night, had a conversation with his neighbor where he used the term Deadwave, a prominent player in his current case, and then went into his apartment. They didn’t hear or notice anything due to the party they were having.”

“Sounds about right, the folks downstairs, this nice lady and her kids- thinking they were all androids- they said they heard a gunshot at around one-thirty-ish.” There was a shrug with his words. “They heard some yelling after that, but couldn’t make out any words with the party going on. The lady said she knew Gavin, called his number and he didn’t answer.” Connor frowned, another person saying they knew Gavin and happened to be an android. So many questions and no time to find answers for them.

“What did the captain say about Reed being missing?”

“He’s got everyone looking for him, said he’ll brief everybody when we get back. We should get heading there now.” Connor nodded, looking to the closet and figuring he could come back later. They left the room and Connor made sure the kitten could reach his food and water before leaving the apartment.

The short trip back was silent, and Connor realized that Gavin probably walked some days to the precinct. It would’ve been shorter if they walked even. But still, they parked and went into the building.

Debriefing everyone, especially Tina and Chris, wasn’t fun. Sure Reed wasn’t well-liked, but no one wanted to see another in danger. With so little to go on, Connor fully dug around in all the records he could, sitting at his desk and staring off to Gavin’s. There were a couple of calls, some to androids, some to people, that Gavin made in the day he disappeared. Tracing them to whom they belonged to was both easy and incredibly difficult.

The first call was some girl android, and it was the unknown caller that Gavin accepted when he left. He traced the signal back, thinking it would be a good start to finding Gavin. Just as he was about to tell Hank so, Tina stopped him, hand gripping his arm. “Connor- it’s- it wasn’t bad, was it?”

Sometimes Connor struggled with nuances. Sometimes he didn’t- and right now, he could hear the fear in her voice. She was trying to be strong, but Connor didn’t even need to scan her to see how worried she was. He still did, of course, her stress understandably high and heart rate accelerated. “There weren't any signs of major damage. He likely got punched in the face.” He wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to say or not, as Tina backed away and looked off to the side.

“But there was blood. He was forcibly taken.”

“It appears that way, yes.”

“Did you find both of his cats? He adores those cats- especially Doa.” Connor was about to ask why Gavin named his cat after a snake before he realized that was a ‘d’ not a ‘b’.

“I found a small black kitten, but I couldn’t find the other cat. There were traces of her hair.” Tina sighed then.

“You found Bastard then. Doa was probably hiding, she won’t come out unless called for when she goes into hiding.”

Connor looked to Hank, standing over by Fowler, then remembered the short distance from here to Reed’s apartment. “I could walk back while I’m out chasing a lead, find Doa and make sure she’s safe.” Tina seemed to brighten up at that.

“Please do! He would be devastated if anything happened to either of them- seriously he tried to punch somebody who called Doa ugly.” Chuckling at the image, Connor backed away.

“I will- the lead comes first though. I’ll message you with my findings, Ms. Chen.” There was a new look on her face, something close to guilt. It could be shame too.

“Just call me Tina- or T. If it wasn’t for you- I doubt anyone would’ve known Gavin was missing for another- fuck- day? Two? So thanks.” Connor beamed, LED briefly blue as he realized that the relationship marking between him and Tina now changed to [ _ FRIENDLY _ ].

“I was just doing my job, Tina. Detective Reed may have his shortcomings, but he’s a good detective. We’ll find him.”

There was a look as if something sour was placed in her mouth but she nodded, turning away and walking back to her partner. Connor resumed his spot by Hank, who had been talking to Fowler the whole time after the debriefing. For once he was assured by the serious looks on their faces, both standing close enough to keep their conversation private but not close enough to make Connor want to leave the room. His audio sensors turned up to hear them.

“It’s not like you knew this case was going to be this bad Jeff.”

“I gave him this case, despite having my reservations, and now he’s missing Hank- I should’ve fucking-”

“There’s no point in blaming yourself, dear.”

“If it wasn’t for Connor, how long would it have taken us to notice?” Connor decided that was a good enough point to interrupt, stepping into their area and watching their heads turn. Hank was, of course, the first to speak, and Fowler took another step away from them both.

“Whatcha thinking hard on Con?” Hank tapped the side of his temple, where an LED would be.

“I’m going to head out. I tracked the first unknown call Reed received yesterday on his way out to an android down where I believe Deadwave’s group is at. I’ve also been requested to locate a secondary cat in the detective’s house, and make sure she’s fine.”

“By Officer Chen,” the captain questioned, arms crossing. “And you’re not doing any of this alone of course. We already have one officer missing, and even if it’s a solitary incident, we don’t need to add any more risk to this.”

  
“Of course captain, I wasn’t under the assumption I would be alone.” He wanted to be, but he could understand the other’s worries. “Hank, whenever you’re ready I’ll be in the car.”

Hank nodded, looking to Fowler afterwards. Connor watched the subtle movements, the reassuring gazes. Hank was the one to reach out, hand on his shoulder,  _ pat pat _ , and Fowler let out a sigh. “Get going you two, and take it easy out there.”

With that, Hank and Connor walked out, Connor setting up objectives to meet. A timer went up in the corner of his vision-

[TIME SINCE DISAPPEARANCE: 8 HOURS]

Connor frowned. ‘ _ We’re going to find you, Reed. _ ’


	4. Chapter 4

Four hours passed since they were debriefed. The girl turned out to be a dead-end, literally. Connor called in someone to recover the body for investigation later, but he looked over her now. Arm removed and missing, her re-activation would be extremely short-lived as she didn’t have enough thirium. There were obvious signs of someone having drained it, and Connor felt heaviness at that. But they continued, the girl getting sent to the evidence room. There were no other marks in the area that Connor could see, but the graffiti on the wall was fresh.

_ Deadwave _ . It was LED blue and white, sharp black lines. Actual spraypaint and not a hologram. There were smaller tags just as fresh beside it, in total a group of four people. Connor traced the next out of place call, an actual phone, and when he and Hank got to the location Connor felt genuine anger. Pulling the phone out of the bushes, he scanned it for prints. It did hit, thankfully, on a name he saw in the file, a Travis Greneer.

Finding him wasn’t easy and took up the rest of their time. Only to turn out that Travis was completely useless when it came to Reed. They brought him back to an interrogation room, he spilled everything he knew easily. Travis got in with some android pals to this group. Found out they were going towards more than just petty tagging buildings and robbing corner stores, so he tried to find a way out. That’s when he got ahold of ‘Vinny’, some guy he met in the coffee shop that could help him out if he returned the favor.

Gavin met him down by the marketplace, the two discussing what the gang was doing and how to move forward when the rest of the gang showed up. He described how weird his pals were acting,  _ ‘they didn’t know how to fight like that and the one, she was against fighting in the first place _ ’, and how they attacked the two. During the fight, he heard Gavin shout something, and then the guy, Deadwave, screamed to ‘get it back’.

That was the last Travis heard or seen from Gavin. At least now Connor had a profile, one that was pretty unique as well. The group consisted of Deadwave, neon red mohawk and red and black clothes with toxic symbols in place of Cyberlife markers. Then there was Travis’s friends, an AJ700 named Laura, her tag being Daisy, and an AC900 with platinum hair and lilac eyes named Ivan, going by the tag General. That left one more tag Travis didn’t know of. The guy wore a bandana with shark teeth and had a bright blue man-bun, but that was all Travis could offer. Connor figured that was Shark.

With an idea of what the group looked like and what he was dealing with, he was even more concerned. Four androids against a human, and a lack of remorse as they just left the girl to die. No closer to finding Reed, Connor went to the man’s apartment alone, letting Hank enjoy his lunch. He was determined to find his cat at least. Connor mulled over the messages, the piece of paper he received, Travis’s statements- all of it.  _ ‘What does Reed have that the others want- what’s so important that he’d risk his life for it? _ ’

The question was on repeat as he left the elevator, coin in hand moving idly across his fingers. It was pocketed as he got to the door. Opening it revealed that nothing had been disturbed, thankfully. Bastard, the black kitten, was laying in the cat tower, perking up hearing Connor enter but then skittering to hide in the tower again. Connor moved to the couch first, determined to fix the place up a bit. The couch was heavy, and Connor filed that evidence away into the report. It definitely would’ve required two humans, or a strong android, to flip the couch this way.

Thankfully Connor was strong enough, righting it after a couple moments. Blinking, he discovered a notebook shoved in the couch. Pulling it out, Connor sat down as he opened it. It was a brand new notebook, and Connor flipped through the pages. At the 34th page, there was finally writing in it.

_ Deadwave: custom model AT575. Idiot genius confirmed he was made for one of his nerd friends as a gift, but he deviated quickly and ran off. ‘Glorified typewriter’ is what he called him. Can print typed paper out. Deviancy signs: had a favorite literature, haiku, and favorite authors. Disliked books where the smart guy didn’t get the girl.  _

_ He’s making something. The androids he recruits, they all die off within four days of meeting and joining his group. He’s started to tag the ‘a’s in his name with fours. I’m going to find out what he’s doing that’s killing these people. _

People. Gavin referred to androids as people. Referred to their deaths as killing. It was new information about the detective that put him at ease, even as he looked over the pictures drawn in the blank space. It was no police sketch, but Connor could make out the mohawk, a face of some sorts with a pointy chin. A jacket with spikes on the shoulders and toxic marker where a triangle would be glowing red. Then Connor noticed it was the same symbol in place of the LED as well. 

Odd. Flipping through more pages, five later there was more writing suddenly.   
  
_ It’s a USB. Whatever he’s making is on that USB around his neck. If I can just get it, take it into E, E can fix these guys before they die. Their due date is in three days. _

_ Travis said I should be able to meet them if we hang out. Going to try and get their attention. _

There were no drawings on this page, just a list of places that were tagged, androids he thought the group killed, and humans that could be involved. The only important note there was that a guy named Aleks was going to be selling them a truckload of weapons tonight. Connor forwarded that info to Hank, looking up the name himself and finding he was wanted already.

Two pages later there were a couple of words.

_ HE DIDN’T MAKE THE USB AND HE CAN’T REMAKE IT. _

Connor could see the rush to write that, and parts of the paper were wet as if he ran in and wrote it down immediately. It was another twelve pages before Connor found the last page of writing.

_ They know. They know  _ _ someone is _ _ looking into them. I don’t think this meet is going to go well. I’ve figured out that the USB has some kind of _ -

The rest of the page was ripped, blood dripped onto the paper below it. One of the androids had to have found this notebook, and only deemed that page worth taking. Having the vague idea that the USB is what Gavin stole, he hadn’t seen one in his search yet. If Gavin had it on his person, they would’ve probably found a body already.

That meant a lot of things honestly. They were probably trying to find the USB by forcing it out of him. Suddenly the timer spazzed, and Connor was reminded that it was now past twelve hours. He couldn’t get sick, but the way he felt his everything tense and tighten at the thought Gavin was being tortured for twelve hours now- he didn’t know how much longer Gavin had until he broke.  _ ‘If he’s being tortured- they normally outright kill. They could be fighting on what to do yet. _ ’

He knew it was hope despite all odds, but it was hope he clung to. He went to lay the notebook down when he saw a familiar phrase.

_ Call dead on arrival! _

Connor paused, LED spinning around and around. “Dead on arrival.” His voice was loud in the silence even though it was his conversational tone. He picked up on scratching coming from the kitchen and was reminded of why he was here. Doa-

‘ _ Wait. Doa. D.O.A. Dead on- _ ’ “Doa! Here girl!” He called for the cat and heard a loud mewl from the kitchen. He quickly got up and went towards the kitchen to see a pair of silver paws stretching from a cabinet above the fridge. He wasn’t prepared for the rest of the cat.

She was a gorgeous silver tabby, with impeccable fur, obviously well-loved. Her front paws and sides were littered with small scars, white lines across the skin. What was most shocking though was her right back leg and the right side of her head.

[ _ Gavin Reed owns an android cat. _ ]

The notification wouldn’t leave as he looked to the messily repaired leg and right side of her face. The work was amateur at best, someone with just enough knowledge or guidance to keep her together. There was a new eye registered to another cat model, not her own. Doa slinked over, all calm grace and bumped her face against Connor’s. A paw reached out and was held there as if she would climb down and onto his shoulders. He moved closer of course, and she did just that. Little pricks of pain from her claws digging in, she claimed his shoulders and began rumbling.

Connor moved to the couch with her and noticed how Bastard now watched him. “Hello, Doa- Gavin’s said lots of things about you. Well, not directly.” There was a  _ mirrup _ in response, and Connor was curious. Pulling back the skin on his hand, the purring only increased as she rubbed her face against his palm and then went still.

Suddenly Connor was seeing through a cat’s eyes. A deviant cat’s eyes, moving keys away from Gavin the morning before he went missing. Gavin looked like shit, bags deep under his eyes, applying something to his lips to hide the fact they had bled. He wore a black tank top that clung to him and failed to hide the way he seemed bone tired.   
  
“Dammit, Doa- give those- you know I gotta go into work you dumb, beautiful bitch.” A hiss and Connor felt second-hand offense at the term. She laid on the keys, mewling at the man, and Connor felt- so much emotion. As Gavin picked her up, nuzzling his stubble against her sensitive chassis. “Love you Doa, I’ll see you after work alright? Make sure Bastard doesn’t fall off of anything, and maybe we’ll go rescue another kit for you.” Connor didn’t miss the tone of sadness in his voice.

The volume of her purring at the idea of two kittens was so loud though. Gavin let her down, grabbing the keys and messing with them. “Gotta decide Doa- who do I go to with this.” She mewled at him, tail flicking as she did so. “Connor or E? Connor works with me- I can trust him. But he’s also at risk if I don’t get this damn USB… E- he’s good with all the technical shit. Has what, ten? Eleven ST300s living with him now?”

Doa got up, wrapping around Gavin’s legs before jumping at his badge. Connor was filled with pride at being chosen by Doa, and Gavin’s soft laugh. “Connor huh? Alright- alright if he stops by today I- I’ll let him in on all- this. But that means I gotta get that USB today then...” He leaned down to pet her before grabbing the keys. “Wish me luck and a fuck ton of energy drinks.”

With that Doa was left alone. He sped through the memories of the day, Gavin never coming back til night. He staggered in, bleeding lip and collapsing limbs as he laid on the couch. Doa was at him in an instant, and Connor could smell the blood coming off of Gavin. She pulled at his sleeve, and Gavin took off the hoodie. His one arm was gouged, in what Connor identified as nail marks, deep enough to bleed. He also had been punched, Connor could see it.

Doa curled on his lap and Gavin held the item. A USB in a plastic sandwich bag, blood on the outside of it. “Got it, hah… They’re coming for me, sweetheart. So you gotta hold this for me and hide alright? Hide til someone calls out for you.” Gavin brushed his fingers down along her face, then her belly. “Remove your fur.” Doa did as told, removing her skin and fur layer until she was a bare cat model. Connor could see all the care someone put into repairing her, and a quick nudge revealed she was run over by a pickup. Repeatedly. Gavin’s fingers gently pried at certain spots until the chest panel opened. Gently still, he nestled the wrapped USB within her chest.

Connor was impressed with how much Gavin seemed to know about his cat. The chassis closed without a problem, and Doa mewled, rubbing against Gavin’s chest. “Yeah yeah, love you too sweetheart. Now be good for me, if they get that back…” Gavin’s hand shook against Doa and he pulled her close. “You be good for me alright? Hopefully, Tincan will come for ya soon.” Gavin sat her down, then got out the notebook. The last Connor saw from Doa’s eyes was him writing something down, as the cat then headed for the kitchen. A couple of well-placed jumps and she was on top of the fridge, paw opening the cupboard door and crawling in. She used her tail to close the door and curled up.

The gunshot woke her and Connor felt her fear, but she remained quiet. The was sounds of fighting, and then Connor felt- so strongly. Anger. Fear. Pain. He didn’t know where Doa’s emotions ended and his began, both of them feeding off each other. “ _ Where’s the USB, human. _ ”   
  


“Phck you, probably up your ass along with your-  _ gck _ .” The grunt of pain had both Connor and Doa wanting to run out, but Doa remained. She may have been a deviant, but she didn’t dare betray Gavin’s trust.

“I’ll ask again- where is it. You cannot stop me, I will get someone else to make it.”

“Keep asking, I’ll never tell you.”

“Oh, we’ll see about that.” There was the sound of a struggle, likely Gavin, kicking the wood and the table, but then Connor and Doa heard the soft ‘ _ shhhh _ ’ that left the man speaking. “Alright, he’s asleep.”

There was the sound of something- someone- being dragged, and then there was silence. Doa mewled once and got a responding mewl from the bedroom.

That’s where Doa pulled away at, looking towards Connor expectantly. “You are a very good girl, Doa.” She puffed her chest, exposing the skin for him. Connor easily opened the panel there and removed the USB, looking over it. Scanning the item did nothing, and he wasn’t stupid enough to test it out. Instead, he placed it in his pocket and made a call.

He had become friends with Chloe, ever since he spared her, and he knew the woman could likely get Kamski to help him out. Petting Doa as she re-applied her skin and fur, Connor noticed she would need to be brushed again. Looking to Bastard, he was also very well kept for. ‘ _ Gavin’s good with cats, _ ’ came the thought, not surprising at all. ‘ _ And androids. _ ’ That was, however, and there was still a small amount of processing power dealing with that.

His hands were gentle, his smile warm and eyes like storm clouds when he spoke to Doa. That  _ laugh _ was enough to have his thirium pump feel like it was malfunctioning, and Connor wondered what he’d have to do to get it directed at him. To get that soft Gavin that Doa had. 

“Hello, Connor! What a surprise to hear from you!” Chloe’s voice shook him out of his thoughts, though Doa looked up, way too knowing.

“Hello, Chloe. I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” Unlike himself, Chloe had to talk out loud during her communications, and Connor could hear what was going on around her. It sounded a lot like groaning. He  _ really _ hoped it wasn’t groaning. “I could- call again later-”

“Oh no worries Connor, I’m just cracking Elijah’s back. Nothing like walking all over your boyfriend.”

“There was a better choice of words there Chloe.”

“No there wasn’t. Now, what did you need?”

Connor sighed, shaking his head despite her not being able to see. It was a human thing he picked up off of Hank of course. “I have a USB with a potentially dangerous program on it that I need Elijah to look at immediately. It’s been used on several androids and results in them shutting down somehow, but it has another function I don’t know as well.”

“That sounds worrying. I’m certain if you bring it in, we can give it a look and figure out what’s going on. How did you come across it?”

“One of the detectives I work with did. He stumbled onto it chasing a case down and…” Connor trailed off.

‘ _ And got injured just to keep it out of harm’s way. Got kidnapped and could possibly be dead. _ ’ Words Connor couldn’t say, causing pain to sit heavy in his chest. Like someone was sitting on it, pressing one ton down. “And he’s unable to bring it in himself.”

“Which… detective, Connor?” Chloe’s voice had changed, and the downwards arrows flitted across his vision.

“Detective Reed.” A new voice cut in, suddenly alert. Connor was surprised by the interruption, as Elijah rarely ever eavesdropped.

“What do you mean he’s unable to respond! Connor, what happened to Gavin-”

  
“ _ Elijah Kamski! _ ” The full name had Connor wincing, silence hanging over the call. “As I was, what happened to the detective, Connor.” That authoritative voice had no reason being that good sounding.

“I probably shouldn’t be informing you of this, policy and all-”   
  
Elijah cut in again, and Connor almost wanted to ask the other, for his own sake, to shut up. “Fuck your policy- he is my- OW!” Connor heard the slap, and it sounded like skin hitting skin. “Chloe! It’s  _ Gavin _ !”

“I understand this Elijah, but it’s rude to interrupt me while I’m on the phone- if the next words out of your mouth are ‘well, technically’ I will tie you up and leave you here.”

“I want to get the USB now.” There wasn’t a need for Chloe to say ‘good boy’, it was implied in the silence that followed.

“Connor, bring the USB over as soon as possible. I want a full interface as to what you know about Gavin’s whereabouts as well, in exchange for our help.” Connor should have known Elijah’s ‘price to pay’ policy would’ve rubbed off on Chloe eventually. Still-

“Of course Chloe. I’ll inform my partner I’m heading over to you now.”

“Oh, Lieutenant Anderson? He’s welcome to tag along. Or not.”

Connor knew she meant well, but Connor didn’t have to bring Hank to Elijah’s, not after the last visit. “Thank you, but he’s at the station manning the efforts there.”

“And where are you?” Her voice was curious, and Connor couldn’t help the heat in his face. He was sitting on Gavin’s couch, holding his cat, the kitten slowly approaching, and becoming Doa’s best friend.

“Gathering information.” The lie was too easy to say. He wanted this to be normal, something he could do more often.

It seemed Gavin found a way to completely turn his viewpoints, and now on top of the ever-growing list of just  _ who _ Gavin Reed is… He had to figure out why Elijah Kamski and his girlfriend Chloe cared so much. “Uh-huh… Well, we’ll expect you within the hour, Connor.” And the connection was severed.

“Looks like I gotta go Doa. You be good and take care of Bastard.” She mewled, hopping off his lap. He swore the cat winked at him and laughed as he left the apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

Getting to Kamski’s was easy. Handing Kamski the USB was easy. The genius plugged in the USB to a test android and whistled as the coding completely ate and erased the coding that existed on the android. Connor questioned if this android could feel it, and Elijah explained the only coding it had was basic movements and speech. Then he went to explain what Connor just saw, and explaining what it did was even easy. Connor wondered how something so terrifying could be explained so simply.

It was a hivemind virus, connecting the androids infected to a hive mind that could be controlled by one person- Deadwave. Thankfully Elijah turned off and wiped the blank slate of the android before anything could happen. “It seems like this one is viral too. It’s meant to be broadcasted.”

“He was going to do what Jericho did and hijack the tower?”

“Most likely. This was a really good catch on Gavin’s part. If he would’ve gotten away with it, Deadwave would’ve had an army. Wonder what he wanted an army for, though.” Elijah went quiet, examining the plastic casing of the USB before continuing. “And because it was such a personal code, I might be able to trace who crafted it even.”   
  


All things considered, this was good news so far. Then Elijah turned on Connor, glare on his face only enhanced by the glasses. “Now where the fuck is my brother.”

“Half-brother,” Chloe corrected, working on her own project this whole time. She took up knitting, and Connor watched as she was making a blanket. She’d been increasing speed slowly since he got there. Now though, Connor’s mind was rampant with the new information. [ _ Gavin Reed =half-brother= Elijah Kamski. _ ]

“I do not know. I need to work on that next, and was hoping to get more clues while we’re here.” Elijah sighed, looking to the code on the screen.

“I can’t make clues appear out of thin air, but while you’re here, you can see if any of the girls know the name Deadwav-” Chloe cut in, looking up from her work.

“No one knows anyone by that name in this house, sorry. I already asked.” This time Connor and Elijah sighed together, and exchanged looks. A short laugh came out of them, but Connor’s cut off first.

A message with a video attached, sent to Fowler and forwarded to him and Hank.

_ “Hello- you good now? Good- Hello Captain Jeffery Fowler! I must say, you really do have fine, fine detectives working at your station! Sturdy, loyal, stubborn, intelligent detectives. I wouldn’t suppose you’re missing one?” The man with the neon red mohawk stepped to the side and revealed the form of Gavin. Bright red rope tied his arms to the ceiling, a hook coming out of the roof. There was blood around the ropes, staining them partially darker and making the ropes almost appear to blend into the detective’s skin. His tank top was gone, and there was a lot of damage to the man’s stomach and chest. _

_ Cut across his sternum was the name  _ DE4DW4VE _ in the style he tagged in, and it looked like it was just deep enough to bleed. His whole stomach and sides were purple and blue and ugly shades of green; it looked like the man withstood beatings for several hours. When the mohawked man gripped Gavin’s head by his hair, tilting it back, Gavin barely let out a groan. _

_ On his face were several electric burn marks, probably from someone using exposed wires to shock him. There were definitely tear streaks, recent, but Gavin’s eyes were still aware, glaring at the android recording him. “Come on Detective Reed! Say something for your captain~!” _

_ “Don’t you dare use one of my sick days for this. I want to go to the movies.” That seemed to piss off Deadwave, who kneed him in the back, causing Gavin’s body to curl and arch away and his eyes to close. _

_ “Endearing. Really. So here’s the deal, Captain. Either your boy Reed here tells me where he placed that little USB of mine or you find it. Cause if I don’t get it back,” Deadwave curled his hand, and a bowie knife was placed in it. Lightly the tip was traced down Reed’s face, under his chin, down his neck and rested above his heart. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “You don’t get your detective back. You have one day.” Removing the knife, he moved away as one of the other androids moved into view. The video ended as a ball bat was brought in, hard, on Gavin’s stomach. Still, Gavin didn’t make a sound. _

LED spinning wildly red, Connor felt his stress rise immediately. He had to look over the audio, trying to trace its source, when his mind caught onto the only thing Gavin had said. “ _ I want to go to the movies _ .” Remembering all the places that Deadwave had tagged, there was an alleyway-  _ behind the Celsius theatre. _ There was a tagged building, Connor running a search on it. It had a basement like the one from the video.

Forgetting he was with company, he suddenly stood up, startling both Chloe and Elijah. “I need to leave.”

“Did you get something about Gavin?” Connor offered his hand to Chloe, repeating himself.

“I need to leave,  _ now. _ ” Chloe took the offered hand, and the transfer was forced through. Connor wasn’t wasting time sorting out his personal feelings on the matter, so he wasn’t surprised that Chloe reeled back as hard as she did.

“Right- Elijah I’ll fill you in. Get going, and make sure he’s alright.” She noticeably kept a few steps back. Connor went towards the stairs back up before pausing.

“Actually, the USB. Do you think you can fully wipe it Mr. Kamski?” There was the brief sound of typing and then Connor turned as the USB was thrown at him, catching the stick out of the air. “Thank you.”

“Mhm- you let me know what’s going on Connor.”

“Understood.” Connor then went up the stairs, sidestepping around a couple girls walking in the hallway. He knew his LED was a mix of red and yellow, and his stress was still high.

Gavin’s wounds looked somewhat serious. Connor  _ hated _ the carved name across his chest, but from what he could see, it wasn’t deep enough to be a risk for bleeding out. Yet. His wrists were rubbed raw, and he was likely sporting a cracked rib or two, especially if they switched to using that bat. His voice sounded like shit, but zooming in on his mouth, he didn’t see any coffee grinds in there. The chance of internal bleeding was low, for now.

Of course, once he got into a cab he messaged the captain and Hank back, informing them of his beliefs. He advised against rushing in, due to the possibility of Gavin being killed in a swarm. Of course, there were questions. He had little time before he got there, so he elected to ignore them.

  
**Connor**

[ _ I’m going to head in there first. See if I can neutralize the targets without endangering Reed’s life. I’m going to need backup in case one of them runs. _ ]

**Lt. Anderson**

[ _ Kid, you are sure about this? That fellow talking, we don’t know what he is yet. _ ]

**Captain J. Fowler**

[ _ Connor, you should wait for backup to arrive, just in case. Or at least an ambulance. _ ]

**Connor**

[ _ If I wait for the arrival of several vehicles, the androids will become suspicious. I have the USB, now cleared, that they want. I will make a trade-off for it, and remove Reed safely. _ ]

They both still replied back that he should wait, but Connor simply called in for an ambulance to head two doors down from the theater. His own cab parked three buildings down, and thunder rumbled overhead. Despite himself, the pop-up telling him how likely a storm was coming showed anyways. He couldn’t help the ironic laugh at it though, keeping himself quiet as he approached the building.

The first thing he looked around for was the cameras, spotting them quickly and making sure to avoid them as best he could. A quick scan of this area had him making an immediate right, heading into the building there. It wasn’t occupied, at least the base floor, just being a hollow storefront of days gone by. There were apartments filled with people above, but he ducked out the side door, navigating to the alley for the building he was looking for.

Standing outside the one door, leaning back with a hoodie pulled over their face, was a person. A quick scan revealed it was indeed an android, and Connor wasted no time in ducking behind a corner. He had to run all his possibilities here. If the android saw him, or he spared them, they could alert Deadwave. Gavin would die. However, shooting them in the thirium pump would risk the chance of them not being able to come back. A headshot would almost make that certain- the only person he knew to come back from a headshot was Sixty, and Sixty didn’t even come back without damage.

Weighing over everything, he remembered seeing the code. It didn’t overwrite, it  _ deleted _ the old coding. The possibility that the android wasn’t themselves anymore hurt, but he had to consider it. Just in case he messaged Chloe, feeling the first drops of rain break.

**Connor**

[ _ Hey Chloe, I have a question about that hive mind virus for Elijah. _ ]

**Chloe**

[ _ We’re listening _ .]

Connor was highly amused by the ‘we’re’, knowing that she was just as worried as Elijah was, just a bit more… in control of her manners.

**Connor**

[ _ The virus, does it completely delete the old conscious and rewrite or is it laying overtop? I need to take down one of the infected, and while I know they’ll die anyway in a few days, it would be nice if I didn’t have to accelerate this process. _ ]

**Chloe**

[ _ ‘Accelerate the process’, Connor your way with words some days is amusing. However, as Elijah is putting it ever-so-delicately, these guys were dead upon infection. It completely erases the host. I’m sorry. _ ]

Connor was relieved with the info and withdrew his gun. With a strike of lightning flashing overhead, he took down the watch, a near-perfect headshot. He was still getting used to using the gun, waiting for the eye to stop moving before approaching. ‘Near-perfect’ being through the left eye- there was no way to repair that damage. Connor closed their eyes at least and made his way inside the building.

The minute he stepped in he could feel the expression on his face shift, red LED lighting up the darkness. He was faintly aware he felt a rush of intense anger at hearing the wooden bat hit skin, moving silently in and narrowly avoiding some piping on his way to the open basement door. It was Gavin’s groan of pain and the  _ laughter _ of Deadwave that Connor felt himself experiencing something entirely new. If he had to compare it to something, it was like Hank explaining the term ‘seeing red’. He wasn’t, of course, Connor had been a deviant for a long time.

But all he could focus on was the weight of the gun in his hands, each step he took, scanning the stairs for the point that seemed the least likely to protest. All he could hear was the bat coming down until Gavin let out a groan or hiss, a pause, then repeat. Then Connor went still as a voice spoke out. He didn’t have a visual, not yet, but he was almost to the bottom. He could see light stretch from a door to the right of the staircase.

“This all ends if you just tell us where the USB is- then I’m out of your hair!”

Connor counted the seconds of silence, and his LED flickered like a light show, several emotions clogging his systems at the weak, overly confident response.

  
  
“ _ Phck _ you.”


	6. Chapter 6

There were several points in Gavin’s life that he was fairly certain he was going to die. This was definitely one of them, as he quickly tried to write and hide a note for Connor in his couch cushion. His lip was sore; his arm hurt like a bitch. They definitely got in some good hits on him, but Gavin got a good lead on them in return. 

Hopefully, Connor’s curiosity would kick in about the gum note. Hopefully, he’d be here in the morning. _Hopefully,_ Gavin could stall long enough to buy the others enough time to get rid of the damned virus. He just got down stuffing the notebook haphazardly into the couch when he heard the distinct sound of the metal bolts in his door being broken and forced open.

‘ _Shitty fucking apartment,_ ’ he thought sourly, grabbing his gun and aiming towards the door. Normally Gavin was a great shot, but with three androids moving in sync at him, and trying to avoid sending the bullet into the hallway or accidentally into someone’s head- he missed, to say the least. It grazed the cheek of the Shark android, stunning him momentarily, but the other one charged him. Against a big guy like the one on the left he barely stood a chance. The couch was turned over, _onto_ him, smashing his body into the unforgiving glass table and cracking it.

The resulting momentum caused the notebook to skid out, and the android he hit grabbed it. Thankfully, they didn’t sweep through the whole notebook. Not-thankfully, they took the last page, the description of what the USB did and how to get rid of it disappearing into the android’s mouth. “Where’s the USB, human.” Deadwave’s voice spoke up, and Gavin grinned despite himself.  
  
“Phck you, probably up your ass along with your- _gck_.” He was removed from under the couch not with hands, but kicked forwards and dragged, a grunt of pain leaving him as they moved him. Gavin could see the one he shot moving around, checking his house, leaving little droplets of thirium everywhere. 

  
“I’ll ask again- where is it. You cannot stop me, I will get someone else to make it.” Deadwave didn’t sound as sure as they wanted to, that Gavin noticed. Looking up, steel eyes focused on dragging this out- they wouldn’t do much to him here, not with neighbors around. The longer he stayed here, the less likely he was to die.

“Keep asking I’ll never tell you.” The third android, not the big one now holding his arms behind his back, pulled out a cloth and a bottle, and Gavin knew immediately what was going to happen. Fighting the ice in his veins, he started to kick and thrash, trying to get free. He landed a good kick to the knee of the one approaching him, knowing to aim for their joints. It made him drop down, but bloody-cheek grabbed the cloth and forced it over his mouth, approaching him from the side.  
  


“Oh, we’ll see about that.” He hated how snide Deadwave’s voice was, trying to hold his breath as long as he could but eventually he was forced to breathe. “ _Shhh._ ” The cloying scent entered his mouth and nose and he felt himself fighting a losing battle. Gavin was never afraid, ever, it went against who he was after. That didn’t stop the way his eyes squeezed shut, hoping that someone would find him soon.

Waking up was a bitch. Waking up while your hands were tied above you was even worse. He didn’t even open his eyes yet, not wanting to alert his captors to the fact he was awake. Instead, he just felt and listened. One of them was walking around, pacing if Gavin were to bet on it. The sound they made on the floor, of the steps bouncing off the walls, reminded him of the basement from his childhood home. Then he focused on what he could hear past the steps. It being so deathly quiet was to his advantage for once, because he could hear something very familiar.

The Celsius theater had screens outside it, playing the trailers for the movies it was showing. ‘ _Lost Soul_ ’ had a very distinctive, and loud, soundtrack, and Gavin would have cried for joy hearing it. He was glad he didn’t take a rock to the annoying piece of shit monitor the week it started playing that horrendous music. He knew this had to be the Celsius theater because it was the only one within Deadwave’s borders. Now he didn’t know which building he was in besides it, he didn’t know which had basements or not, but at least a vague idea was better than none.

The downside though was that hardly anyone walked past this area anymore. West Side Industrial was a place that _could_ be rewarding if you wandered off the main road, but not without a high risk of getting caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Deadwave’s own influence made the probability of androids passing by drop. So instead he finally focused on what he could feel. He could feel the rope around his wrists, and at any other time he’d probably welcome waking up to that but right now that was a problem. They were wrapped around some cold metal, piping of some sort his brain supplied, and his shirt was already gone.

That never meant anything good, but on the better side of things, that was the only thing other than his boots that were missing. The boots he understood- they were hard and he could deliver a nasty kick with them. About to open his mouth to see if he could taste anything in the air like spices- any hint of where he was besides what he knew- he suddenly heard a voice and bit back the urge to curse. “Well, well, well, our little detective has finally woken up huh?”

“And here I was hoping you’d got run over by a truck like in my dream.” Gavin couldn’t help but be snarky. As bad as it would _hurt_ , if he pissed this guy off enough, it would drive him to release that anger before deciding he was useless. As long as he kept thinking he needed Gavin alive to figure out where the USB was, Gavin was good.

“Still as chatty as ever I see. You know, what a shame we had to meet this way! You would’ve made a great al-”

“As if I’d ever want to meet you in any other way. Remove your head from your ass, dipshit, I don’t like people who brainwash others.” There was a chuckle, and while Gavin expected it to be dark and rumbling- it was almost childlike. Terrifying, but Gavin _fucking_ Reed was not scared.

“You say brainwashed as if they have a chance of coming back. Poor Gavin, haven’t you realized it yet?” Gavin’s eyes opened when a hand gripped his hair, forcing his head up. He met Deadwave’s red eyes immediately, and then Deadwave moved back. Three of the four androids were there; the big fella with platinum hair was holding a baseball bat and a knife and the smaller bandana wearer was standing stock still. Gavin was willing to bet he was acting as a lookout, but looking into his eyes…

There was _nothing_. With Chloe’s eyes, there was always mirth, some kind of joy. Looking into Connor’s- hell he could do so all day and see emotions flicker in the brown depths. Even a non-deviant’s eyes had life to them, analyzing, processing, flickering of intelligence in a machine. Sometimes Gavin liked to guess how close they were to deviancy, from looking in their eyes. If they showed fear or anger without realizing it yet. One Traci model had, a long long time ago. Shown fear, plain as day, though she hadn’t yet deviated. He could do nothing to stop her from being sent to Cyberlife for ‘repairs’.

But this guy? It was like looking into a doll’s glass eyes, so perfectly still and unseeing that it left Gavin wanting to scream, to run, to strike out. Anger or fear or sadness, he didn’t know, but something strong rioted at the look. 

“Ah now you’re getting it,” Deadwave’s voice was so full of himself Gavin felt his fists clench before he relaxed. He knew giving in to his emotions right now would be bad, even if the want to knock the fucker’s teeth down his throat was strong. If only to hear him rattle when he finally got locked away.

“They’re dead the minute they’re infected,” Gavin forced his voice to be calm, and he saw the frown he got for it.

“Basically. You’re no fun, really. But yes, the coding completely erases them from existence! I guess it can be similar to your human methods of poisoning- except I can still use the bodies.” As if to prove a point, the big fella put his tools down and approached Gavin. Gavin didn’t even have a moment to think of a comeback before a fist punched him in the gut, knocking his breath out.

“Here’s how this is going to go, detective. You’re going to tell me where my code is, or, big guy here is going to beat it out of you.” Gavin looked up, panting but defiant.

“I hope you’re ready to be here for a long time then, bitch. I’m not saying a fucking word to a no-good plastic garbage can like you.” Deadwave sighed, and then Gavin saw the next blow coming.

He made good on his word. It was three hours in, Gavin thought, when he could feel something slick around the ropes on his wrists. He’d been squirming, trying to move away from each blow, but never getting a break. The machine never let up, never focused on one spot. It, because he was dead and was now just a corpse on puppet strings, hit his arms, his legs, stomach, chest. At one point got Gavin in the jaw, Gavin tasting iron as his lip split back open. Then it just stopped, stepping back. Deadwave’s infuriating smirk was back, and the hand, ironically gentle after all that, threaded through his hair and tilted his head back.  
  
“Ready to talk, Reed?” Gavin spat blood onto the fucker’s face, grinning to him. He knew it trailed down his chin, he knew he looked every bit as feral as he felt.

“Come on Deadwave, this is Sunday play,” with that he tried to wink, blinking with both eyes.

He was glad he did because Deadwave himself punched him in the face, fist meeting cheekbone and Gavin was so glad no teeth came loose this time. “Another hour of convincing it seems.”  
  


Hours had to have passed before Deadwave got pissed off. At some point he even had the big guy expose the wires on his finger, pressing the sparking wires onto Gavin’s face, right under his eyes and along his cheek. Gavin was _terrified_ of being blinded for a moment, but never close enough to do damage there. No, he was just graced with the smell of burning skin so close to his nose. When it was obvious that wasn’t going to be enough, he moved down his neck, and Gavin felt the voltage amp up. A couple shocks left him shaking and he hated the noises that escaped him, but he still growled in response to the ‘ _ready to talk?_ ’ that left Deadwave after each one. 

Then Deadwave pulled away and grabbed the knife as Gavin focused on breathing deeply. It felt like a couple ribs were about to crack, it felt like his wrists were about to but cut off, and breathing was the biggest chore he ever had to deal with. His nose itched and his face hurt with every movement. At some point, he started crying and he hated that the most. 

The hands that were beating him down grabbed his chin roughly and Gavin noticed the guy was standing off to the side. “New game, Reed. I’m going to make you talk- I’ll even leave you a second or two between each line to make up your mind. If you don’t spit it out, however, I’m going to send your pretty face with your newest addition to your captain.”

The knife tip was traced along his cheek, not pressing in yet. “Then maybe he’ll find what I’m looking for, and I won’t have to try and get it out of you. Sound good?” He knew that was rhetorical, so he didn’t even bother with the answer. Instead, he thought of his captain, of Connor, of Tina. He messaged Tina too, he remembered. He hoped Connor talked to her, he seemed like the type to check every possibility Gavin was fine before making decisions.

The first line stung like a _bitch_ , Gavin jerking and crying out as a ‘D’ was carved into his skin. It was just deep enough that left untreated, he’d scar nicely, but he was at risk for bleeding out. The hand on his jaw moved to his bruised sides and kept him from thrashing. “Phcker!” Gavin cursed up a storm, feeling the anger seep out of him despite himself. Something was relaxing about knowing he had time before the other tried to kill him, and his traitorous head was doing anything it could to keep him from freaking the fuck out.

That was good and well til he got to the end of his name, where Gavin’s pain tolerance was truly being tested. He whimpered a bit, something he wasn’t proud of, but the blood that already spilled was cooling over bruised muscles. His head was constantly pushing back a fog he knew was dangerous to slip into it. “What’s wrong, detective? Feeling your tongue come loose or...?”  
  
“You phcking wish, Tincan.” Gavin knew that the other could hear how strained his voice was. Finally, the knife stopped, and the bastard flicked the flat side against the last couple of letters. Gavin’s voice escaped him in a hoarse yell and he tried to curl up only to have platinum keep him still. His body shook slightly and then he felt the shifting. “Come on Gavin, just tell me where the fucking USB is and this all stops.”

At least he gave him a minute to gather his tongue, but Gavin couldn’t look up this time. He lost track of time, which was bad, and his body felt like it wanted to sag. Also bad. He knew he wasn’t invincible, he reasoned he had another couple hours in him before he passed out from the pain, or he’d say something he’d regret. Thankfully it took one thought of Connor, of how damaged he could end up, of Chloe and the girls, of his jackass neighbor and all the ones he helped get into the building… remembering them he clenched his fists. “Yeah, this all stops because you kill how many androids- for what goal.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know. Maybe I’ll tell you if you tell me where the fucking USB is!” Deadwave was losing his temper, Gavin could tell, and he couldn’t stop the grin if he tried.

“What USB?” That earned him a hard slap, directly over the ‘D’ and Gavin’s whole body jerked. A soft roll of blood down his wrists and arms and a warmer trickle down his chest, he was left whining at the pain.

At least he was very aware now, enough to see the other play with the knife and the man bun to walk closer. “Hello- you good now? Good- Hello Captain Jeffery Fowler! I must say, you really do have fine, fine detectives working at your station! Sturdy, loyal, stubborn, intelligent detectives. I wouldn’t suppose you’re missing one?” Gavin let his head drop realizing what he was doing. Internally, the clock ticked down now. 

Fingers in his hair, he was wondering if the guy had some liking for touching it or just liked the control it gave him, as his face was tilted up. Deadwave was behind him now, so he glared at the recording android. “Come on Detective Reed! Say something for your captain~!”

So many things flickered through his head to say. ‘ _Don’t look for the USB. Don’t do what he asks. Don’t come for me._ ’ All the words he wanted to say- and all the words he knew would be ignored. He didn’t fool himself into thinking he was actively wanted, but he knew the captain wouldn’t let him die this way. He’d tear apart the whole city looking for him, and stir up fear in the process. Gavin didn’t want anyone being afraid, and he sure as hell didn’t want these guys getting free.

It was the trolley and the tracks, only Gavin was tied down with the controller in his own hand. “Don’t you dare use one of my sick days for this. I want to go to the movies.” Enough to not alert Deadwave, but enough Connor or maybe Anderson would figure out, he hoped at least. He got kneed in the back for his sass, causing him to arch and stretch the cuts on his chest. Refusing to make a noise, not on camera, he grits his teeth and rode out the pain. His cheeks weren’t numbed enough to mask the hot tears that came out at that.

“Endearing. Really. So here’s the deal, Captain. Either your boy Reed here tells me where he placed that little USB of mine or you find it. Cause if I don’t get it back,” Deadwave curled his hand, and the bowie knife was placed in it. Lightly the tip was traced down his face, under his chin, down his neck and rested above his heart. Gavin felt himself swallow despite that, and his eyes flicked to the side.  
  
“You don’t get your detective back. You have one day.” Then the threat moved away. Gavin wouldn’t last a whole day, he knew that. Even now sleep tugged at the back of his mind, beckoning and trying to drag him under. The big guy stepped up, a baseball bat in hand, and Gavin bit back the whimper he wanted to leave out. Head hanging, he forced himself to relax, and the bat was brought in on his stomach. His body couldn’t jerk any harder, but now at least he knew the recording was done with.

Deadwave went still and the smaller android went back to his- it’s- place. The bat kept coming, across his back, legs, stomach. A break every so many minutes, and once he even did try to pass out. Deadwave smacked him, a squirt bottle dousing his face and Gavin hissed. “Awww, too bad I won’t have friends that would appreciate me reducing a detective to a hissing cat.”

“Sounds like a personal problem.” It was a weak growled out mumble, but it felt good to still defy, to still _try_ to defy. After that comment, the next swing came down harder, and Gavin definitely knew some of his ribs were cracked. He almost was willing to bet they all were. Then there was a pause, the big guy stepping back. Deadwave gripped his shoulder, eyes angered and voice hiding nothing. Deadwave was getting pissed, Gavin knew it.

“This all ends if you just tell us where the USB is- then I’m out of your hair!” Gavin realized, with a start, that the pressure the other was putting on his shoulder was in the prime position to dislocate it. And it was increasing, the threat there becoming more obvious.

Maybe though, he would pass out from the pain, get a few, sweet minutes of reprieve from this. Sure he knew how bad it would be to not have it put right back in, but… he wanted to sleep so badly and he knew that was the pain talking. It sounded so good though, so he listened. Did what he does best, a lazy, toothy grin on his face.  
  
“ _Phck. You._ ”

  
Then the world whited out as he heard the most interesting _pop_ was heard from his shoulder. The pain was immense, overwhelming, whiting out every sense in a way that hadn’t been tried for a long time. For a moment, one delirious, pain-filled moment, he thought he heard a gunshot.


	7. Chapter 7

Connor rounded the staircase at the choked off scream and didn’t waste a second. He saw the big guy, aimed, and this time didn’t miss. Technically. A little bit lower than between the eyes, he shot the man right in the nose and watched as the platinum-haired shell fell to the ground. He didn’t get much time to gloat though, as the man-bunned android, or his hive-controlled shell, went after him from the side. He managed to get the upper hand on the gun, but Connor managed to kick it under the stairs.

Knowing an interface would be deadly, when he went for him again, Connor made the decision to apologize later. He grabbed his arm, one hand at the wrist and one around the upper arm. Then he yanked, ripping it out of its socket with his leg against the man’s back, kicking him forward. The arm was tossed aside, and Deadwave roared seeing both his puppets now useless in the fight. Connor watched as he went for the knife, and quickly intercepted him, tackling the puppet-master.

They both went into a wall, but Connor was faster to recover. Grabbing the sides of Deadwave’s face, he bashed his head back, once, twice, letting his anger channel into the blows before he was kicked off. Thirium was on the wall from the other’s skull, and Connor watched as he staggered. The Shark came back at him, and Connor easily stepped back, out of his reach. Another kick sent him into the wall, and Connor walked over. He grabbed his other arm and removed it as well, and the mission [ _ Prevent Transfer _ ] ticked off as a success.   
  
When Deadwave came at him, he used the arm as a makeshift weapon, whipping him across the face with it. It worked, sending the other to the side a bit, and Connor threw the limb down before focusing on Deadwave.

Everything he  _ felt _ screamed at him to make due for the pain he caused Gavin. Connor hadn’t even scanned him yet, but he could tell Gavin only passed out at that scream. Connor  _ wanted _ to follow his feelings, even as violent as they were, and wondered if this was something like North’s feelings. So angry that he didn’t mind what happened in the wake of his anger.

He wasn’t North though. Connor was just that, himself, and that’s the Connor Gavin trusted. Feeling his handcuffs on his belt, he moved in again to try and get an upper hand on Deadwave. It was an easy fight after a couple of hits, Connor definitely breaking open the chassis with the one across the man’s jaw. Deadwave didn’t last long in the fight, and Connor was snapping cuffs around his wrists when he got the call. “Connor speaking.”

Oh- his voice was different. He knew he sounded different when pissed, but this was a whole new level of  _ blank _ he didn’t like. Neither did Hank it seemed, his voice concerned and a hint of afraid. “Holy shit Con, you good?”

“Just a little upset- is backup here?” He didn’t bother to switch to internal communications, wanting Deadwave to know how fucked he was. His plans of exchanging Gavin for the USB falling through, he still pulled it out when he was a safe enough distance from Deadwave.

The look was priceless, the pure anger in the man’s expression as he fought against cuffs he wasn’t breaking anytime soon. “Backup’s up here, along with an ambulance. How’s Reed holding up?” Reed? Wait-  _ Gavin! _

Connor looked over, stuffing the USB back in his pocket and running over to Gavin. He immediately untied him, only to see his one shoulder flop so unnaturally and  _ painfully _ . Connor gulped, and knew he had to do it now, or else risk one of the poor EMTs being attacked. He knew how to do it, still didn’t make up for what he needed to do though. He laid Gavin flat and felt it out before taking a breath out of habit.  _ ‘One… Two… _ ’ On his internal ‘ _ three _ ’, he pushed it back into place.

Gavin awoke with a scream, and Connor heard Hank’s voice become concerned, orders to enter the building being called out. ‘ _ That’s fine _ ,’ was Connor’s muted thought as he monitored Gavin now. “Gavin, Gavin it’s me Connor- it’s alright, come on, can you stand?” There was no point in waiting for an answer, as Connor realized even if he could stand, he’d be too unstable to walk. The detective could yell all he wanted later, right now, Connor was picking him up bridal style, cuddling the arm he just popped back into his chest so it wouldn’t jostle too much.

Gavin let out a  _ whimper _ before his eyes seemed to clear. “Phck, Con the- the USB.” Connor’s system nearly malfunctioned at the few words. Gavin Reed had several cracked ribs, half-inch deep cuts that were still bleeding, wrists rubbed raw and open from the rope, a dislocated  _ and  _ relocated shoulder- and his first, coherent thought was about the USB. Connor could see the pain so clearly in his eyes, but yet he was aware enough to shove it aside. To focus only on the job. Connor almost didn’t want to answer him, so he wouldn’t think the job was complete.    
  
“The hive mind virus was destroyed by Kamski almost an hour ago. You have been gone for thirteen hours Gavin, stop worrying about the damn job.” Despite himself, he told him the truth and got a sigh from Gavin in return. Deadwave was still yelling furiously, even more so at the news. However Gavin’s eyes slipped closed and he  _ smiled _ , something lazy and satisfied.    
  
“Good- I’ll have to ask more later.” The man curled into him as Hank and three other officers opened the door.

“Connor! Is Reed alri- ght.” There was a pause as Hank observed the two, and Connor simply walked up the steps, holding him close. Any other time, he’d take a moment to enjoy how tame Gavin was, but right now he knew why and it caused worry to settle so heavily in his systems that he was certain it would be permanent.

“He will be- Deadwave is down there, alive and cuffed, along with two other bodies. I will give my full report after I ensure Reed’s safety.” Hank gave him a look that Connor refused to return for too long, instead walking out of the building. He noticed that Gavin stirred, head turning to look at the movie theater. “Gavi- Erm, Detective?”

Gavin caught the slip-up, looking up with a raised eyebrow before he bumped his forehead against the other’s chest. “Connor, I’m kinda bleeding all over your shirt and you're carrying me, half-dressed, in your arms. I think you can call me Gavin.” There was an intense blue that hit Connor’s face at his words, but also a knot in his stomach at how hoarse and gravelly his voice was, how weak it sounded.

“Alright then- Gavin- what’s going on in your head right now?” He watched the detective turn his head and nod it towards the theater.

“If it wasn’t for that theater, I might’ve been dead when you found me. I think I owe them a fruit basket or some shit, or maybe actually go see a movie there… Hate going alone though, always did.” Connor could hear the shrug he wanted to do in his voice, moving him to the ambulance.

“We can talk about that later, right now let’s get you fixed up.” There was a soft hum of agreement, and Connor laid him on the stretcher. 

As he moved back Gavin’s eyes suddenly sparked to life, and Connor didn’t want to assume, but for the briefest second Gavin looked afraid to be left alone. Then the EMTs got in with him and he calmed, speaking around the mask they attached to his face. “See you at the hospital?”

Connor smiled, something he told he was good at doing now that he had practice. “Of course.” Gavin laid back then, seemingly satisfied with the answer and while Connor expected to hear some form of bitching, the doors closed to quiet. Mission updating, he went back to observe Hank and the officers. Hank was the one shoving Deadwave into a squad car, slamming the door shut with a growl. Connor watched as he rubbed his left shoulder, and quickly guessed what happened as he approached the older male.

“Guessing he got a hit in on you too?” Hank turned to him, and he caught the way his blue eyes looked over him. There was a grimace to go with the evaluation, and Connor couldn’t blame him.

“You look like hell Connor. But yeah, this fucker threw himself back once I got him up the steps, tried to loosen up my hold on him. Got me pretty good, but I’m guessing he got Reed a lot better huh…” Hearing the way his voice turned heavy, Connor was almost relieved the other seemed as concerned as he was.

“That he did, and all to keep a virus code from being projected that could’ve wiped out a majority of Detroit’s android population.” There was silence, as Connor pulled out the empty USB, twirling it in his fingers.

“A fucking  _ what _ now? What do you mean, wiped out?”    
  
Connor nodded to the car in response. “Let’s patch Fowler back in on our way to the hospital Hank.” The poor man looked like he was about ready to collapse himself, not fighting the ‘suggestion’ as Connor made his way to the car. They got in, and Connor pulled up a projection on his hand so they could all video chat, parsing Fowler’s voice through the speakers so Hank wouldn’t be freaked out by one body having two voices. It took the whole car ride to explain what Gavin had found, how he found it, what the USB did, and what Connor assumed Deadwave’s plan was.

There was no time for Connor to explain himself any further, however, as they were already at the hospital when he finished up explaining Elijah’s assistance in all this. Of course, he left out the part of Gavin being related, or that Elijah could possibly show up to the hospital. Connor did say he would keep the other updated after all, though he left out the extent of Gavin’s injuries. He found omitting things, rather than outright lying, suited him just fine.

Getting out of the car after a polite goodbye, Connor barely waited for Hank to hang up the call as he walked over to the doors. He wanted to see Gavin, make sure he was ok. Worries about his arm, about the carving on his chest, about his ribs- they floated around in Connor’s head and clogged his thoughts to the point he brought out his coin. Fiddling with it in one hand, he approached the receptionists’ desk, looking to the brunette that still had an LED. “Hello, how may I help you?”

Connor heard Hank just enter the doors as he spoke. “Yes, I’m looking for Detective Gavin Reed, he was brought in via an ambulance… Twelve minutes ago.” The girl’s LED spun yellow for a moment but she looked up the info.

“And you are?”

“I’m Connor- Connor Anderson, a fellow coworker of Gavin’s. I was the one that found him-” He offered his hand but she didn’t take it, and Hank’s hand on his shoulder calmed him somewhat.

  
  


“Alright Connor, since you and Lieutenant Anderson are coworkers and officers, you’ll be able to see him once he approves of it. He’s still being patched up, however, so I’ll let you know. Please take a seat in our waiting room.” She waved her hand towards her left, and Connor felt irritation prickle through his systems before his reason soothed it. ‘ _ Only protocol after all _ .’ Hank was the one to say ‘thank you’ first, and Connor quickly added it as he was turned and led towards the waiting room. There were few others there, so at least the place wasn’t overly busy.

It didn’t do much to soothe his nerves though, sitting down and Hank sitting beside him. Part of him still hated how deviancy instilled such a strong sense of anxiety in him because he knew as a machine, he’d be able to wait here, perfectly calm.

As a machine though, he wouldn’t care in the first place. Gavin’s smile wouldn’t be stuck as a pinned picture in the corner of his view. Gavin’s hints at wanting someone to go to the movies with him wouldn’t make his chest feel like bursting. He wouldn’t feel this wonderfully stupid want to ask Gavin to invite him over, to ramble about Doa, to get Bastard’s trust, to introduce Gavin to Sumo- “Kid, can you get out of your head? Your LED is a spinning yellow light show.”

Connor turned his head to Hank and offered a sheepish smile. “Sorry Hank, just mentally complaining about deviancy again.”

“Don’t be anxious Con, Reed’s gonna be just fine. You know, you and him, you’ve two been getting along just fine… You ever thought about talking to him outside of work?” Connor had the brief fear of being  _ that _ obvious with his thoughts before Hank looked over, all curiosity and zero teasing. He didn’t know, his probability was high that he didn’t know, and that this was just an honest observation.

A nudge in a certain direction. “Because the last person I was talking to outside of work ended so well.” Connor’s voice was dry, remembering trying to date Josh, and then trying to date one of the other officers. Josh and he broke it off on the terms that they were better friends, and Connor even helped him get setup with John. Then the officer and him- those were less good terms. Connor would never let anything impede negatively on his work, but even he felt how awkward it was to go back in after their breakup.

“Well, I know you don’t mean Josh cause Josh is still a pretty chill guy- so you’re talking about Jenny and no offense Connor, but even  _ I _ tried to warn you that you and Jenny weren’t a good match.” Connor had to give him that- when he started to date the female officer, Hank was the loudest one against it all. Gavin had made a comment too, though it was more out of concern now that Connor thought about it. ‘ _ Just make sure she isn’t a rebound, rebound relationships rarely end well. _ ’

Connor had asked after they broke up if Gavin spoke from experience and got a shrug. ‘ _ Rough luck tincan _ ,’ was all the detective said about that before he got a call. “You did. I just- I am not sure Gavin would appreciate the offer. The proposition?”

“Oh god Connor, don’t say ‘proposition’ like that. You're not asking for a quickie in the restroom, you’re just asking to hang out!” Hank’s face was red, Connor’s was blue, both were malfunctioning slightly because of the conversation. 

Thankfully a nurse intervened then, and despite himself, Connor scanned her. Useless info of her records came up as she spoke, and Connor swiped them away.

“Connor and Hank Anderson for a G. Reed?” They both stood up, approaching her, but Connor was the first to speak.

“How is he?” The nurse had one of those smiles Connor found himself giving to others far too often to comfort them.

“Very sore but stable. We’re keeping him overnight, but you can see him now.” She turned and the two men followed, heading through several hallways before they came to a room. Hank moved aside, motioning for Connor to go first, so he did. He stayed outside, pulling his phone out, and Connor assumed that he was calling Fowler and updating him on Gavin’s condition. 

Gavin looked much better cleaned up, Connor found. And  _ handsome as hell _ , even all patched up. It was his eyes mostly, his eyes and his confidence even as he laid there, idly tapping his fingers. Connor recognized the song and made his presence known by humming it as Gavin tapped. The man startled, steely greys finding Connor and softening to a stormy hue. “Should’ve known you knew Jon Bellion.”

“I don’t ‘know’ per se, I was just able to match the song that quickly. You’ve also listened to it before.”

“That I have- come on, out with it, tell me I look like hell warmed over.” Connor felt his face warm up again, cursing the feature entirely. He could turn it off, but he liked feeling human so it remained.

“You look like a guy who can handle it a little rough.” Hank coughed,  _ loudly _ , from his place by the door as Connor found a seat beside Gavin. Gavin took it well though, snickering and wincing in the same motion.

“You bet I can. Hey Anderson, did you guys get Deadwave?” Connor was- relieved, definitely, but something else- at the fact Gavin didn’t react negatively to the teasing. In fact, he was grinning, eyes slightly warmer, looking less like he was just recently beat within an inch of his life. He looked alive, and it caused a tidal wave of pure joy to see him so vibrant.

Sure, a quick scan showed a lot of damaged ribs, deep cuts with a moderate percentage of scarring, and the need for a sling to help ease the pain in his shoulder… But Gavin made it out in one piece. He could see lower scars, near the v on his hips, of knives that cut in. Bullets- even little shard-sized scars. Connor had to examine them more closely, but there was a high probability they were from a broken window. “Hey Connor, my  _ eyes _ are up here.”

An elbow jabbed into his side and Connor’s focus snapped back to Gavin’s face, blue flooding his own from embarrassment. “You have a lot of scars- I was calculating the percentage that the damage you received today would add to them.” Gavin’s hum of ‘ _ mhm _ ’ didn’t sound genuine, as the other smirked to him.

“Right… Well, even if it does scar, nothing a little tattoo can’t cover. Or hell, branding.” Hank let off a whistle, shaking his head, and Connor tried to ignore the pure alarm in his systems that Gavin was willing to be branded.

“Thought you didn’t like marks because they’re identifiers, Reed?” Hank chipped in, and Connor looked over to see his eyebrow raised. His partner had taken a stance along the wall, arms crossed as he leaned against it, body settled in the nook of the counter. Gavin cursed as if he just realized that it would be a very obvious identifier, both of those options.

“Or I can put some money into scar removal cream. I’ll worry about scarring when I get there though. I think for everything that happened, a banged-up stomach isn’t too bad.” Connor’s LED spun red wildly, and he rolled his eyes.

“A ‘banged-up stomach’ is an understatement, you will be resting, right?” Gavin looked at him for a moment, nothing but silence and the monitor beeping. Then Gavin  _ scoffed _ , grinning a bit to Connor.

“Can’t really afford to just rest, they’re not sending a nurse with me, and being told to lay down and do nothing really doesn’t settle well.”

  
“I don’t  _ care _ if it doesn’t ‘settle well’, as you put it, you  _ will _ be resting Gavin. Jostling yourself around could risk internal bleeding if one of your ribs decides it’s going to twist further inwards than they already are.” Gavin winced at how blunt he was, and even Connor felt a little bad, but the  _ worry _ he felt was stronger than any guilt.

Thankfully Hank cut in then, but Connor didn’t trust the smirk the other wore. “Well, you know Con, if you’re so worried, why don’t you offer to check in on Reed- make sure he’s actually resting.” Connor blinked, having thought of that but it was a low probability that Gavin would appreci-

“I wouldn’t mind that. He could bring some work with him too- and keep me updated on Deadwave’s case. I want to know the minute that bastard gets what’s coming to him.” Gavin’s voice was a low growl, and he calmed since Hank’s suggestion. Connor’s own head was swimming with ideas- things he could do, bring over, ask, see- and he had to make sure this was a welcomed interruption. Not just Gavin agreeing to get Connor and Hank off his case, which he had an idea it was.

“Are you sure- I would be stopping by every day, possibly during my lunch breaks and immediately after work until you’re released back to work. If I see evidence you’ve been pushing yourself-” His LED only spun red once at being interrupted, then white started to circle in at the smirk, the heat in Gavin’s eyes.

“What, ya going to punish me Tincan?” Gavin had no  _ right _ to sound that good injured, and Hank’s ‘ _ for fuck’s sake Reed _ ’ was not helping the blue on his face. Gavin laughed then, wincing in the same movement, his good hand gripping the sheets. “Oh  _ phck _ Connor! You’re so blue- please don’t malfunction cause of that. I can’t afford your ER bill that’s for sure.” He wound down to giggles and even Hank snickered.

“I’m sure I can think of something, Gavin.” The giggles stopped and Gavin’s face was so damn hopeful, but Connor couldn’t keep his eyes on the other. Sure, he flirted with Jenny, and Josh even, but this was a new heat, a new teasing back and forth he wasn’t used to. “Only if you are actually fine with me stopping over, that is. I also can help fix your door as well… And I think Doa likes me.”

“Well, of course she likes you, Doa has taste. But yeah yeah, I’m- I’m fine with you coming over. Keep me from going stir crazy and in the loop.” Gavin seemed genuine, and Connor was excited about this. A nurse stepped in then, a couple raps against the nearest surface.

“I hope I’m not interrupting. I have medicine for a Reed?” Gavin let out a soft ‘ _ here _ ’ and Hank moved aside for the nurse.

“Well, Con, Reed- I’m going to head to the precinct. We got a tech coming in to see if the guy Connor uh-  _ unarmed _ \- can be fixed. Code and all.” There was a silence as Connor looked over to Hank, a glare in his face and the blush dying immediately. The older male wore a grin a mile wide, and Connor was torn between laughing or throwing an unused blanket at him.

“Hank… That was absolutely terrible.” Gavin looked between the two, Connor noticed out of the corner of his eye, and Connor made a reminder to go over what all happened while he was passed out.

“Oh, I know. But in all honesty, gotta head back, and so do you. You gotta turn in your side of what happened.” Connor understood this, but it didn’t stop him from pouting, just slightly. He didn’t want to leave Gavin’s side. Then Gavin’s foot was nudging him, Connor turning towards him. His face was soft, and Connor almost wanted to call it  _ understanding _ . There was no over-confident grin or glint in his eyes, just warmth and- something Connor couldn’t identify.

It did prompt his systems to try and think of any instance he has ever seen that look, but he couldn’t pull one up.

“Get going. Someone call me if there’s any news, but you’re no good being here. And uh hey, Connor uh.” Now it was Gavin’s turn to look away, and Connor could see, under the bandages, the start of red on his cheeks. “Thanks, really. I knew I could trust ya with this.” Connor felt pride swell up in him, and he pats the other’s foot.

“Of course Gavin. I have to admit, your methods of discretion and puzzle forming are quite intriguing themselves. I would love to be included in more of your cases.” There was a pause, and then the smirk was back, even with the slightest uptilt of his chin.

“If I didn’t know any better Connor, this almost sounds like your own special way of asking to hang out.” Connor went to dispute this, even if it was partially true, but Hank cut him off, laughing.

“Bingo.” That got Gavin to laugh softly and Connor huffed, standing and flicking Gavin’s foot.

“Why do I put up with either of you. If I wanted to hang out, I would just ask Gavin to the movies- however, that will have to wait until after he’s recovered.”

“That sounds more like a date, but I’m down. Both for your input on some cases and for the date.” Connor could tell Gavin was enjoying how blue he was becoming, LED now spinning white rapidly with the blue mixed in. Gavin’s eyes never left him and he was smiling nonstop.

“I’m heading to the car- see you tomorrow Gavin!” Still, Connor couldn’t handle all this right now, and Hank followed him with a laughed out ‘ _ cya Reed _ ’. As they walked out, Connor paused, watching a pair walk towards Reed’s room. While the man was hard to recognize, a beanie and shades, and a rain poncho hiding his frame- the girl beside him was recognizable to him anywhere. Chloe always was recognizable, being the only RT600 to exist, and she turned when he stopped.

**Chloe**

[ _ The hospital informed us he was here. Our secret little visit. _ ]

**Connor**

[ _ Of course. He’s in rare form, have fun. _ ]

He smiled and moved to catch up with Hank, the man looking over when he did so. “Forget something?” Connor shook his head, grabbing the door and noticing that it had started storming. He remembered something about Gavin liking storms, and then thought back to the fact he’d miss this one. So for a couple minutes, as Hank and he rode back to the precinct, he recorded the storm out of the car window. When the video ended, he sent it to Gavin’s phone.

The reaction was near-immediate, and Connor swore his thirium pump sped up a bit. He changed Gavin’s name in his contacts from ‘ _ Detective Reed _ ’ to just ‘ _ Gavin _ ’, though no one else would see that anytime soon… It still felt right to do.

**Gavin**

[ _ Thinking about me already??? Damn, I should get hurt more often lol! But thanks, I knew it was gonna fucking storm and of course I’d miss it _ . D’:]

Gavin texted so- formally, it was almost startling. There was a smiley at the end too, something so- him- it hurt to have it only to himself. In a good way, like he was going to burst from the happiness of it all.

**Connor**

[ _ Do not make a habit of getting hurt, Gavin. I should inform you I can play music that I’ve heard you refer to as ‘a crime against humanity’ from every speaker in your house. _ ]

**Gavin**

[ _ That is cruel and unusual punishment and I resent this!!! But yeah yeah, I’ll warn you nect time I get my ass kicked lol. _ ]

[ _ *next _ ]

‘ _ Of course, he would correct himself _ ,’ and Connor must’ve been smiling as Hank laughed beside him. “It’s been less than ten minutes and you’re already texting him Con?” Connor huffed, looking over to Hank and pouting.

“Maybe. I sent him a video of the storm- he likes storms.” Hank’s all too knowing ‘ _ mhm _ ’ had Connor turning a light shade of blue, but nothing else was said. So Connor sent one last text back before they got back to the precinct.

**Connor**

[ _ You better. _ ]


	8. Chapter 8

Giving his statement didn’t take that long, so he was still able to catch the tech that was working on the android he knew as ‘ _ Shark _ ’. Unfortunately, there was no good news there. The android was officially fried, especially with a blocker now attached to scramble the commands sent from Deadwave. They sat still, doll-like and dead, the LED not even spinning. Just an even solid red. Connor knew what he felt was sadness, that there was no saving the ones there, but there was also joy that the virus was contained and destroyed.

Jericho had to be informed as to the eliminated threat, and Markus sent a ‘ _ thank you _ ’ in response, offering their help the next time it was needed. Then Connor messaged Gavin the bad news. Gavin took it well, though he admitted he knew that. Having him describe over his text looking into Shark’s eyes, he knew Gavin felt bad. It was still surprising to see him have so much care into something Connor was sure he hated.

Connor told him this too, only recognizing after that this might not be a conversation you held over text. Gavin didn’t seem to mind too much though, and he was relieved by this.

**Gavin**

[ _ I’d rather go over all of it in person, but my problem isn’t with androids Connor. There’s a difference- between deviants and machines. Machine is what you were, before the revolution, before the evidence room. A deviant is what you are now, what that guy was, what they all were. _ ]

[ _ Kinda a bit deep for a text and also my nurse is yelling at me to sleep not text. I know that before that virus was put in them… They were alive. And now they’re not. Punch Deadwave for me. _ ]

Connor took a deep breath, and his information on Gavin scrambled in his head, hundreds of questions it seemed like popping up. He filed them all for later, and sent the other a quick text back, hoping the nurse didn’t take his phone away.

**Connor**

[ _ No worries, we’ll have all the time to talk whenever you’re ready. Thank you, for answering, now I have so many questions for you. I look forward to tomorrow. Rest well Gavin. _ ]

There was no reply and Connor figured the other was passed out then. The next thing they had to do was interrogate Deadwave. And Connor was banned from the interrogation room, both because of the virus but also because it was a bit obvious, especially to Hank and Jeff, that Connor was pissed at the suspect. They didn’t have to get much out of Deadwave, just a list of others he had infected, but Deadwave wasn’t talking. At least, about that.

He was very happy to talk about what he did to Gavin. Connor didn’t have to leave the room, he was built for this, and even though his deviancy made him so  _ pissed _ that he wanted to enter that room and punch him- he remained in place. Fowler definitely took notice of his red LED with a chuckle though. “Good to see Reed’s in good hands this time, but remember, he can take care of himself Connor.”

Connor startled at that, looking away, a bit ashamed of being so obvious. He forced his fists to relax, his cooling fans to kick in with his breathing. “I know he can, still doesn’t make what Deadwave did to him any easier to hear.” Deadwave was now trying to get under Hank’s skin, describing in detail how Gavin reacted to being shocked. Connor wanted to message Gavin, confirm he was fine, but his systems reminded him he was asleep. Asleep and safe.

Hank eventually gave up, walking out of the room and into the observation room. “I can’t get shit out of him. We’re going to have to charge him with the deaths Reed found and the ones Connor had to deal with since the technician pronounced them dead on infection.” The road of imprisonment for androids was- rocky right now. There was still heavy legal debate on what exactly should be done, but because androids could be easily detained in smaller cells, there was a ‘prison’ built shortly after the revolution. It worked, but some considered it inhumane.

Connor... didn’t. The sentencing just had to change a bit in his opinion, but it wasn’t something he was focusing on right now. “I’ll go start on the paperwork and files then. May I inform-”

“Holy shit Connor please, just go.” Connor tilted his head, confused for a moment as Hank looked at him with concern and distress. “You sound like a fax machine right now, trying to keep your voice flat- it’s freaky. If you don’t want us hearing this is affecting you or some shit- that’s fine kid. But don’t do that- fucking hell.” Connor smiled sheepishly at that, unaware he had defaulted his voice when he only meant to be professional.

“I- er. I am incredibly pissed that he won’t be able to feel every minute of pain he put Reed through, but this is why I’m not the judge nor jury for this. Sorry to unsettle you I just... thought it was unprofessional- how badly I want to punch him.” He admitted it because it was these two- Hank being a father figure and Jeff being both his boss and… Another father figure? The boyfriend to his father figure- it was still weird to describe.

“You’re allowed to be pissed Connor,” Jeffery stated, the voice of calm and reason, but Connor caught the way he looked into the interrogation room. Fowler wasn’t hard to read, per se, he just wasn’t expressive. Right now, Connor could easily see his own anger in his eyes, and so could Hank, moving closer to Jeff’s side. “Hell, I’m pretty sure we all are, you just can’t let it control you. You’ll get used to walking that wire soon enough.”

Connor was sure of it. He wanted to be closer to Gavin, and he knew it wouldn’t be easy. While he enjoyed the cases that Hank and him have, he knew helping Gavin with his would be rewarding and infuriating, because Gavin’s problem-solving was so different from Hank’s. So were his cases- up until a month ago they had been only taking on android cases. Now they still got mostly android cases, but they were back on homicides too. As far as Connor knew, Gavin was all undercovers and organizations. 

All of that though, all of it, Connor wanted, looked forward to. He wanted Gavin, in what way- he wasn’t sure yet. He had time to figure that out. “I’m sure I will, but right now, I really do need to do those files… He’s been humming so peacefully and it’s- really driving the want to do something regrettable up further.”

Hank shook his head with a chuckle, ‘shoo’ing him off and then brushing up against Jeff’s shoulder. “We got him, get going, and calm down. Message Reed while you’re at it.” Hank’s tone was teasing and it caused Connor to pout, his LED settling back to yellow.

“I can’t he’s sleeping.” Jeff chuckled at that, looking to the two and then sliding his fingers into Hank’s.

“Guess you’ll be keeping tabs on him until he returns? You can let him know how this went, he’ll probably be upset that we didn’t let you punch the guy.”

“Oh he definitely will, but I can cheer him up.” The ‘ _ I bet _ ’ that both the older men said, in perfect sync, had Connor turning bright blue. Backpedaling quickly, he went to the door. “I don’t mean it that way! Both of you, terrible, horrible influences.” He left before they could say more.

And that was his day. The rest of it was spent informing people of the situation, those who knew and needed to know. Or he was filing paperwork or filling out something electronically. Noticeably, neither Hank or Jeffery came back for another three hours, and Connor resisted scanning either of them. The wrinkled shirt on his  _ father _ was enough evidence to paint too much of a picture already. His day passed back slowly and he couldn’t wait to get home and spend time cuddling Sumo.

The next day was no better. Connor wore a black button-up today, leaving the sleeves unrolled, and a white tie. If it was a bit tighter than normal, that was no one’s business but his own. With no new cases coming in, they finished up Gavin’s paperwork and made sure Deadwave got transferred without incident. Tina approached him that day, and Connor was glad to see she was doing much better. News must’ve gotten to her about Gavin being in the hospital. “Connor! Hey- how did everything go? Is Gav doing good?”

Nodding, Connor checked the time. He had about forty minutes 'til his lunch break, and he absolutely planned to go check on Gavin. He would be going home today, Connor had to get him after work, but he still wanted to visit. Tell him in person his anger at Deadwave, and tell him in person that it was all done with. “He’s recovering well. He’ll be heading home today, I will be personally assisting him as he’s supposed to be on bed rest.”

He thought this was an appropriate response, however, Tina still gasped, eyebrows furrowing and eyes narrowing. It was only her smile, the mirth in her voice, and the way she exaggeratedly crossed her arms that cued him into her anger not being actual anger. “Oh! So when  _ I _ offer to take care of him when he’s sick, it’s ‘ _ oh boo I don’t need help blah blah I’m Gavin fucking Reed! _ ’ But when  _ you _ offer to take care of him he’s all cool with it- I see how it is.”

Connor snickered, covering his mouth in a failed attempt to hide the laugh. “I would say I’m sorry he likes my company, but that would be a lie. However, I can pass on a message- I’m going to visit him on my lunch break.” She pouted at that, but it didn’t last long as the grin she was holding back leaked through.

“No no, I’ll message him and yell about all this later. Thanks for looking after him Connor- guess you aren’t  _ that _ bad. From what I saw from that tech though, sounds like you weren’t too happy to find Gav?” Connor huffed, crossing his own arms now, loosely across his chest.

“It was- concerning to find him like I did. I will admit I might have reacted a bit strongly to my worry, but I wouldn’t have changed my course of action regardless. They were threats, and I took care of them.” Knowing that sounded very cold, he quickly tacked on another sentence, a sheepish smile on his face. “I wanted Gavin’s safety, first and foremost.” There was a brief silence before Tina grinned to him.

“First name basis.”

“Huh?”

“You called him Gavin- you still call me Officer Chen, and not too long ago he was still Detective Reed. Soooo-” Connor unfolded his arms and quickly turned back to his terminal, LED spinning rapidly and white filtering into it.

“You’re reading too far into it. I need to resume working Tina, is there anything else you need?” Tina giggled, outright giggled and Connor knew she saw right through that deflection. Yet she didn’t push.

“Nope,” she popped the ‘p’ and turned away, heading to the breakroom. “Talk to you later, terminator!” He caught the rhyme with a roll of his eyes and resumed looking over and filing everything. The minute he could he was getting up, looking to Hank, watching as he spoke with Ben about one of his cases. It seemed like they’d be getting a new case shortly, so he made sure to get over to Hank now.

“Hank, Detective Collins- I’m heading out for my lunch break, will you be fine on your own today?” Connor was turned towards Hank, and the older man smiled.

“Yeah yeah, tell Reed I said ‘get well’ and all that. I’m going to see if Fowler wants to order anything anyways.” Connor nodded to that, nonplussed by the fact Hank correctly guessed he was heading to see Reed, then pursed his lips as his eyes narrowed just slightly.

“Healthy-”

“‘Healthy foods Hank, your diet is going well so far-’ I know I know!” Hank grumbled, and Connor couldn’t help but laugh as he left the two with a wave. Connor could’ve walked, but he didn’t want to waste more time than was necessary, so he hailed down a cab, hopping in and heading to the hospital.

Thankfully there was no wait this time, just following a nurse in and up to Gavin’s room. The man looked alright- antsy and annoyed but alright. Connor could easily guess that he didn’t like hospitals too much. However the face melted seeing Connor, going from annoyance to a grin. “Well if it isn’t my Iron Man coming to save the day- here to take me home?” Thankfully, Connor didn’t have to look up if that was an insult or a compliment this time.

“I, unfortunately, cannot fly, yet. And no, I will be back after my shift however to do so. I came in to update you in person on the case.” Connor found his chair beside the other’s bed, noticing Gavin was allowed to sit up now. He wasn’t turning or moving too much yet though, and Connor was glad he was listening to the nurse on that at least. “That is if you’ve been good.”

It was an interesting reaction, to see how Gavin sucked in a breath, looking away quickly. “I’ve been the best damn patient this hospital’s ever had,” he mumbled, looking towards the hallway where the nurses were flitting between rooms busily. Connor looked to his heart rate monitor despite not needing to, seeing how it spiked for a moment and settled. He cataloged all of it to be examined later, then looked over his chest and stomach.

He still had bandages holding gauze in place over the carving, and his stomach was still a kaleidoscope of bruising, but his shoulder was looking better already. Connor doubted he’d have a sling going home, even so- “When was the last time you iced your shoulder?” There was one noticeable lack- Gavin didn’t have any signs of being on medication. Well, the type that was noticeable, at least. “And what have they given you for the pain?”

Gavin looked over then, eyes flicking to his shoulder. “Just took the ice off it some- ten minutes? Before you showed up. And uh, nothing. I don’t like taking pills, so it’s just- roughing it.” That answer had a lot of little worries popping up, but he swats them away. It wasn’t that uncommon, sure, but he hadn’t expected Gavin to be against medication. “Hey it’s not that big of a deal- just seen way too much shit when I was a teen- don’t wanna get into all that ya know?” Focusing back on Gavin’s face, he easily could see the worry and had to bet his LED was spinning yellow.

“I’m just thinking of how grumpy you’re going to be, stuck home all day. But I can assure you I will do everything I can to help.” Gavin rolled his eyes then and reached for his cup of water.

“I know you will, and you seriously don’t have to worry so much. Not the first time I’ve got my ass kicked, and certainly not the last. So what about the case? Any hiccups?” Sighing at how at ease he was, he supposed this was just Gavin. Something not many people were probably privy too either. It caused warmth to know he was trusted with this side of Gavin as well as the persona he played up in the bullpen.

“Well Deadwave is being sent to trial, though with the video and my own testimony, and his own bragging, he won’t be avoiding quite a number of charges. We couldn’t get if there were any other people that you didn’t find, but that deal he was supposed to go in on fell through. We can assume his group was him and his helpers only.” Gavin nodded, jaw tightening for a moment on not being able to get names out of him.

“I doubt there’s anyone I didn’t find, but those that we did find will put him away for a long time- right?” Connor nodded, smiling as Gavin still tried to find a bright side.

“Yes. Not in your lifetime will he get out, that’s for sure.” Gavin snickered, setting the cup down with his free hand and then waving it about.

“Never know, my life could be fifty years or five years from now Con.”

“I’m sure you’re clear of dealing with him for a good while.” Connor looked over his stomach again. Under all the bruising, Gavin was- really toned. He now pulled the blanket up to his hips, hiding all those little jagged scars he wanted to ask about, but now there was an urge to  _ feel _ .

“Connor, I’ll be fine.” Gavin’s voice startled him, so warm and reassuring, and Connor felt  _ bad _ for staring because of his want to run his hands over the other’s stomach. Friends didn’t do that, but Connor was getting used to the idea of wanting more than friends already.

“This time Gavin, I was actually admiring you. Do you have a routine to maintain your- figure?” He had to look for the right word, eyes flicking from his eyes to his abs, and Gavin laughed at that. Like before, it came with wincing, Gavin’s muscles feeling the strain, but Gavin was a little more relaxed despite it.

“‘ _ Figure _ ’, oh phck- you asking if I work out for my abs?”

“If you need to put it so bluntly-”

“Yeah of course I do. Every weekend I try to do a whole workout in the DPD’s gym, and I have a leg machine at home to do reps on when I have time. Can’t keep up with the teens if I’m Hank’s shape. No offense.” Connor laughed then, shaking his head at the added ‘ _ no offense _ ’.

“No no, you’re right. It’s smart, to keep in shape. You look good as well, even with the bandages.” Gavin’s eyebrow raised, hope in his eyes, and grinning to him.

“I’m starting to think you’re flirting with me Con.”

“Maybe. But, my lunch break is almost up.” With that he stood gracefully, reaching over to push hair out of the other’s face. Gavin went bright red, Connor now realizing the bandages on his face were gone, just ointment on the marks, making his face look shiny and flushed and- Connor really needed to leave before that thought had time to root in his head. “You be good for the nurses, don’t be a pain, and I’ll be back to pick you up and take you home.”

Gavin’s voice was a little tight sounding when he finally got it back, and Connor could see the sharp inhale, the longer exhale, as he moved away. “Yeah yeah, no promises. See you tonight then Connor.” Connor decided very quickly he liked stunning the other and made it a goal over the next few days to drive Gavin speechless. Right now though, he had to return to the precinct. He sent a quick text to Hank, informing him he was on the way back, and then as he left the hospital he remembered something.

Digging through his memories, it wasn’t hard to bring up the moment he met Doa, her paw stretched out. He paused, sending the picture to Gavin, with a caption of ‘ _ Cute cat, by the way. _ ’ and nothing more. Gavin sent back a flurry of hearts, and ‘ _ she’s the best _ ’ back to him, and Connor couldn’t get rid of the smile the whole way back. 

Not that he tried.


End file.
